October 11, 2007
After a recent visit to Washington, D.C., I was impressed to find a newly published Franco-American history on the shelves of a local bookstore. "For Liberty and Glory: Washington, Lafayette and Their Revolutions" by James R. Gaines, tells the story of George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette as colleagues and military leaders who made extraordinary changes on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean after fighting side by side during the American Revolution.
Gaines describes how our nation's capital is tied to French culture through the important and close friendship of these two prominent men.
After the American Revolution, Washington in colonial America and Lafayette in France, led movements to change the social structures of their respective countries. The two men believed "all men are created equal," an extraordinary concept for their times.
Although both men owned slaves, they opposed slavery and eventually rebuked the repressive institution. Moreover, they renounced the omnipotent rule of monarchies. Gaines writes how the accomplishments of these two men provided them the rare distinction of achieving historic immortality.
Obviously, Washington put French culture into the landscape of Washington, D.C., when he asked Pierre-Charles L'Enfant (1754-1825) to design the nation's capital. L'Enfant was a French-born engineer, architect and urban planner.
Washington was already smitten by the French by the time he was looking for a location for the new nation's capital city because of the close friendship he developed with the young Lafayette. Although Washington was known for being stoic, his heart was eventually won over by the youthful upstart, Lafayette, who was only 19 years old when he joined the colonial Army with a rank of major-general.
Gaines quotes Washington's letters where he raised serious concerns about a directive received from the colonial Congress to employ Lafayette, who had very little military experience.
Against the backdrop of a colonial revolution going poorly for Washington at the time, the pushy French teenager was the last problem the general needed. Nevertheless, in a quote provided by Gaines from Washington's biographer Douglas Southall Freeman, "Never during the (American) Revolution was there so speedy and complete a conquest of the heart of Washington," as when Lafayette endeared himself to the general. Lafayette revered Washington like a father. Perhaps this close relationship was because the Frenchman lost his father at a young age. Likewise, a reciprocal devotion was showered on the young French officer by Washington, who treated Lafayette like the son he never had, writes Gaines.
Franco-American relations struggled throughout our two countries' histories, but the friendship of Washington and Lafayette endured the test of time. In fact, Lafayette's statue is the focal point in the park named after him, located across the street from the White House.
Similarly, a statue of a sword-bearing Washington is located at Place d'Iena, off the Champs-Elyses, in Paris. Another statue in Paris of both Washington and Lafayette is located in Place des Etats-Unis.
Juliana e-mail: Juliana@MaineWriter.com
Juliana Website: www.MaineWriter.com
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