The Frenchman who was a Founding Father

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For this research paper, I will be talking about a less known founding father the name of Marquis de Lafayette. He is a French noble who came and helped the colonies, during the revolutionary war. He made many sacrifices for the colonies and this paper will tell you what he did. He was born on September 6, 1757, in Chavaniac, France to a prestige’s military family. By the age of twelve he was a very rich orphan. Life moved at a very fast pace in the 1700’s and Marquis de Lafayette found himself joining the royal army at the age of fourteen. Then at the age of sixteen he allied himself to one of one of the richest families in France by marring fourteen year old Marie Adrienne Francoise de Noailles. Her family was also closely related to the king. The fact that his father was killed by the British in the Battle of Minden, the influence of his grandmother, and the fact that being in the milatiry was in his DNA may have all set his life on a course towards America. He was nineteen when he decided to go to and join the American Revolution. Many Frenchmen were willing to join in the fighting because of the lingering resentment of the British and their noble pursuit of freedom. Lafayette knew his king would never approve of this going to America so his friend Comte de Broglie introduced him to Baron Johan de Kalb and the two men purchased a ship and gathered men and supplies to help in the war effort. During the fifty-four days that it took them to sail from France to the newly declared United States he started learning English so he would be able to communicate when he arrived. He finally reached Charleston, South Carolina in June 13, 1777 he heads to Philadelphia to speak with the Continental Congress. They were not real su... ... middle of paper ... ...everal appointments in the government after his return to focus his attention to rebuilding his estate. He was invited back to United States in 1824 and toured the country; people came out in mass to see him. Lafayette would continue his work in government holding firm his belief in a represented form of government for his country. His last appointment was to the French National Guard, which he held until till his death of pneumonia on May 20, 1834. Works Cited "The Marquis De Lafayette." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014."History.org: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Official History and Citizenship Website." The Marquis De Lafayette : The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. "Marquis De Lafayette Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

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