Marquis de Lafayette: Revolutionary Hero and Washington’s Adopted Son
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Empathetic historian Selene Castrovilla began researching the Marquis de Lafayette because she wanted to understand what would make a young person who had a life of luxury risk his life by joining a revolution in another part of the world. Selene has always felt a connection to all of humanity, and she hopes this piece will help your students feel connected with Lafayette. Here are some exercises which may strengthen that connection, with ties to Common Core standards includedype intro text
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English/Language Arts --writing (also involves Research Skills
Upon meeting George Washington, Lafayette wrote a letter to his wife,
telling her, “I have a friend. . . . That friend is General Washington.” Students can
read the full versions of some of these of these letters here.
Lafayette also corresponded with other noted Americas, including Martha
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. Your students can read these
letters online here.
Why do you think these letters are so long and detailed?
Discuss with your class how long it must have taken for Lafayette’s letter to
reach his wife, and then for him to receive a letter in return. Could your students
wait that long for a response? Why? Why not? Today there are many ways we
communicate with each other that are instantaneous and brief. List with the class
the different forms of communication available to them. Did any of them actually
include letters that they mail?
After reading some of Lafayette’s letters, have your students
translate one of one of them into an email, or a Facebook post,
or a tweet. Then ask them to decide if these modern forms
communicate the same meaning and if they provide the same
kind of emotional context. Ask about the benefits and drawbacks
of each form of communication.
Now revisit the “lost art of letter writing” with your class.
Divide students into letter-writing pairs. Have them
write from the perspective of Revolutionary War-era
correspondents: for example, a citizen corresponding with
his or her representative at the Continental Congress or a
soldier in the Continental Army at Valley Forge writing to
a loved one at home.
Social Studies
Dozens of U.S. cities, towns,counties, streets, and institutions are named in honor
of the Marquis de Lafayette. The same is true of George Washington. (Some states
even have cities named for both.) How many places can your students find that
bear their names? When was each place founded? They can mark each place on a
wall map of the United States. For example, Washington, Massachusetts, is located in
western Massachusetts just east of Pittsfield, and Fayetteville, North Carolina, is just
off I-95 about 65 miles south of Raleigh. There is even a Washington University in
St. Louis, Missouri. This activity can give students a great idea of how these two men
continue to be a part of the life of our country.
Research Skills
In August of 1824, Lafayette returned to America as “The Nation’s Guest”
and visited all twenty-four states.
Your students may be interested in researching Lafayette’s tour. They can plot the cities and
towns he visited on a map of the United States. Here are some websites that may be
useful:
★ www.schillerinstitute.org/educ/hist/lafayette.html
★ rmc.library.cornell.edu/lafayette/exhibition/english/tour/index.html
★ www.bookrags.com/research/lafayettes-tour-aaw-01/
★ www.bergencountyhistory.org/Pages/lafayette.html
★ www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?sp=map&sv=I-12
★ www.pbs.org/programs/lafayette
Upon meeting George Washington, Lafayette wrote a letter to his wife,
telling her, “I have a friend. . . . That friend is General Washington.” Students can
read the full versions of some of these of these letters here.
Lafayette also corresponded with other noted Americas, including Martha
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. Your students can read these
letters online here.
Why do you think these letters are so long and detailed?
Discuss with your class how long it must have taken for Lafayette’s letter to
reach his wife, and then for him to receive a letter in return. Could your students
wait that long for a response? Why? Why not? Today there are many ways we
communicate with each other that are instantaneous and brief. List with the class
the different forms of communication available to them. Did any of them actually
include letters that they mail?
After reading some of Lafayette’s letters, have your students
translate one of one of them into an email, or a Facebook post,
or a tweet. Then ask them to decide if these modern forms
communicate the same meaning and if they provide the same
kind of emotional context. Ask about the benefits and drawbacks
of each form of communication.
Now revisit the “lost art of letter writing” with your class.
Divide students into letter-writing pairs. Have them
write from the perspective of Revolutionary War-era
correspondents: for example, a citizen corresponding with
his or her representative at the Continental Congress or a
soldier in the Continental Army at Valley Forge writing to
a loved one at home.
Social Studies
Dozens of U.S. cities, towns,counties, streets, and institutions are named in honor
of the Marquis de Lafayette. The same is true of George Washington. (Some states
even have cities named for both.) How many places can your students find that
bear their names? When was each place founded? They can mark each place on a
wall map of the United States. For example, Washington, Massachusetts, is located in
western Massachusetts just east of Pittsfield, and Fayetteville, North Carolina, is just
off I-95 about 65 miles south of Raleigh. There is even a Washington University in
St. Louis, Missouri. This activity can give students a great idea of how these two men
continue to be a part of the life of our country.
Research Skills
In August of 1824, Lafayette returned to America as “The Nation’s Guest”
and visited all twenty-four states.
Your students may be interested in researching Lafayette’s tour. They can plot the cities and
towns he visited on a map of the United States. Here are some websites that may be
useful:
★ www.schillerinstitute.org/educ/hist/lafayette.html
★ rmc.library.cornell.edu/lafayette/exhibition/english/tour/index.html
★ www.bookrags.com/research/lafayettes-tour-aaw-01/
★ www.bergencountyhistory.org/Pages/lafayette.html
★ www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?sp=map&sv=I-12
★ www.pbs.org/programs/lafayette
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission