Founding1757
Marquis de Lafayette Born
The Marquis de Lafayette was born in Auvergne, France. At age 19, he would sail to America to fight in the Revolutionary War, becoming one of George Washington's most trusted officers and a hero of both the American and French revolutions.
Why It Matters
Lafayette's service to the American cause symbolized the international dimensions of the struggle for liberty and cemented the Franco-American alliance that proved essential to winning independence.