[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 130 (Wednesday, September 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1798]]
                 MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE'S 250TH BIRTHDAY

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                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2007

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the 250th 
birthday of Marquis de Lafayette. Fayetteville, NC, was named for 
Lafayette in 1783. It was the first town in America to be named for him 
and the only one visited by him on his tour of the United States in 
1825.
  Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, 
was born in Auvergne, France, on September 6, 1757. Although an 
aristocrat, Gilbert Lafayette became enamored of the American fight for 
independence. In 1777, at the age of 19, flaunting convention and royal 
edicts, he used his own funds to purchase and outfit a ship and sailed 
to America. He joined the American forces and became a lifelong friend 
of General George Washington. His enthusiasm for the cause of liberty 
and his courage in battle won him the admiration and friendship of 
soldiers, officers, and statesmen.
  The youngest major general in the American army, Lafayette made a 
significant contribution to the defeat of the British forces under 
General Lord Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Yorktown, VA, in 1781. 
Lafayette also accomplished much as a diplomat, persuading the 
Governors of independent colonies to provide food and supplies to a 
poorly clothed and starving Continental Army. He lobbied vigorously 
with the French court for more troops and ships for the American cause. 
The commitments he secured from France ultimately forced England to sue 
for peace.
  Lafayette returned to France and continued his campaign for liberty. 
His involvement in the French Revolution caused his persecution by 
radicals on both sides. Imprisoned for 5 years in Prussia and Austria, 
his fame brought worldwide pressure for his release. As Lafayette's 
popularity grew, his views on liberty, religious tolerance, and the 
abolition of slavery became widespread.
  Lafayette's popularity in America culminated with President Monroe 
issuing an invitation in 1824 for the general to visit the young 
country and witness the development of this experiment in democracy. 
His status as one of the last surviving members of the revolutionary 
leadership gave communities a reason to host elaborate receptions, 
dances, and ceremonies in his honor.
  Madam Speaker, in 1825, the citizens of Fayetteville, NC, were 
honored by a 2-day visit from the famous French proponent of liberty, 
Marquis de Lafayette. In a speech of welcome, Judge John D. Toomer 
proclaimed, ``Never, never can we forget the youthful stranger who, in 
the darkest hour of adversity, so generously flew to our succour, and 
so gallantly fought the battle of freedom.'' Marquis de Lafayette was a 
man who fought for our great Nation and left his mark on North 
Carolina, America, and the world.

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