704. The Marquis de Lafayette and the Fight for Liberty on Two Continents
About this episode
This episode explores the life and contributions of the Marquis de Lafayette in the fight for American liberty.
A 19-year-old French nobleman heard about a group of scrappy colonists fighting for liberty on the other side of the ocean — and decided to risk everything to join them. He wasn't asked. He wasn't paid. He bought a boat, defied his own government, and crossed a dangerous ocean because he believed in an idea. Most people know the Marquis de Lafayette as a character from the Broadway musical Hamilton. But his real story is far more dramatic — and far more principled. Born Gilbert de Motier into French aristocracy, Lafayette volunteered to fight for the Continental Army without pay, earned the rank of Major General, endured Valley Forge's brutal "winter of the red snow," helped trap General Cornwallis at the Siege of Yorktown, and secured the critical French military support that helped America win the Revolution. His lifelong bond with George Washington — more father and son than commander and soldier — is one of the most remarkable relationships in American history. In this episode of The Way the World Works, we tell Lafayette's full story: from his daring escape from France against royal orders, to his battlefield heroics, to the complicated and dangerous return home when the…
People in this episode
Host: Connor Boyack
Topics covered
- liberty
- history
- French Revolution
- American Revolution
- Marquis de Lafayette
- George Washington
- military support
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Continental Army, French government
Places: Valley Forge, France, America
More episodes of The Way the World Works: A Tuttle Twins Podcast for Families
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- 707. America: An Idea Worth Believing In
- 706. Why Did The Framers Hate Excessive Fines?
- 705. Who Was Mercy Otis Warren?
- 703. John Hancock: More Than a Big Signature
- 702. The Acts That Sparked the American Revolution
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