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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2024
The George Washington Foundation
1201 Washington Ave, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Media Contact: Lori Pikkaart, Marketing & Communications Manager
Pikkaart@gwffoundation.org / 540-373-3381, x 1024
Virgina Author to Speak on Lafayette’s Visits to Fredericksburg
Central Rappahannock Regional Library - Fredericksburg
Thursday, September 5, 7-8 pm
Friend of George Washington - and a young nation - Marquis de Lafayette remarkably understood his role as a man who brought all Americans together, young and old, white and Black, free and enslaved. His National Tour occurred at a time of extreme national division, not unlike the times we live in now.
Public historian and author Elizabeth Reese will discuss her book, Marquis de Lafayette Returns: A Tour of America’s National Capital Region, and Lafayette’s first visit to Fredericksburg, sharing insights on why Lafayette’s legacy still resonates today. Reese shares what motivated her to write on Lafayette: "I found so much inspiration not only in Lafayette, but also in the Americans who have been inspired to pick up his mantle of liberty and freedom in the centuries since his visit."
The book follows the footsteps of the Marquis de Lafayette as he makes a final trip through the United States. Against the backdrop of a tumultuous election, this beloved hero of the American Revolution returned to America for the first time in forty years. From August 1824 to September 1825, he traveled throughout the United States, welcomed by thousands of admirers at each stop along the way. Although the tour brought him to each state in the Union, the majority of his time was spent in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. Reese traces Lafayette's route throughout the National Capital Region, highlighting the locations and people the famous General held closest to his heart.
Throughout 2024–2025, Fredericksburg will host Lafayette 200, educational programming to commemorate the Bicentennial of Lafayette’s return to America as the “Guest of the Nation.” The George Washington Foundation is the sponsor of this lecture.
Free event, no registration required. Doors open at 6:30, lecture starts at 7:00.
Address:
Central Rappahannock Regional Library – Fredericksburg
1201 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA
More Information:
Lafayette Commemoration webpage: https://fxbg.com/lafayette/
Lecture Series webpage: https://fxbg.com/lafayette-200-events/
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