In 1824, President Monroe invited Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette, known to most as The Marquis de Lafayette, to return to the United States for a Farewell Tour.
Lafayette had served as a General in the American War for Independence. In addition, he was instrumental in securing support from his home country of France for the war against Britain and was revered by Americans for his miliary expertise, bravery, and friendship to all men, including soldiers, slaves, and Native American Indians. He was 19 years of age when he came to join the fight with General George Washington who became like a father to Lafayette, so much so that Lafayette and his wife named their son George Washington Lafayette. By 1824, George Washington had died, and Lafayette’s son accompanied him on his Farewell Tour, fifty years after the beginning of the war, at the age of 67.
There were now 24 states in the Union, including the frontier state of Alabama, and in accepting the invitation of President Monroe, Lafayette decided he wanted to include this new state on his tour. Nearly three years ago, the American Friends of Lafayette, an organization established in 1932, formed a Bicentennial Committee to prepare to sponsor the 200th commemoration of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour which lasted for 13 months during 1824-1825. Partner organizations for this Bicentennial Tour include Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, and the America 250 Committee. The goal of the AFL Bicentennial Committee was to reenact the tour as closely as possible to the same day and location as his tour of 200 years ago.
Many municipal historical societies, and other lineage and historical preservation foundations have joined in sponsorship of the tour along the way since Lafayette’s arrival in New York in August of last year. There have been many proclamations by governors and joint resolutions introduced in state legislatures including New York, North Carolina and Virginia to recognize the significance of this living history event. On December 10, 2024, there was a ceremony in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol where the reenactor of The Marquis de Lafayette for the tour was welcomed by House Speaker, Mike Johnson, and minority leader Hakeem Jefferies. The reenactor then gave part of the speech which The Marquis gave to the 18th Congress on that exact day 200 years ago.
In keeping with the various sponsorships and partnerships of the tour, Steve Murray, Director of the Alabama Department of History and Archives was very involved in the planning of Lafayette’s return to Montgomery, Alabama, on his Bicentennial Tour. Among his many responsibilities, he drafted a joint resolution for the Alabama House and Senate acknowledging, celebrating, and commemorating Lafayette’s original and Bicentennial visit to the state. On April 3, 1825, then Governor Israel Pickens greeted Lafayette at Goat Hill, the site where the Capitol would be constructed 25 years later.
Murray also planned the program for the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, and Children of the American Revolution wreath laying events held at the Old House Chamber inside the Alabama State Capital building with Governor Ivey as a special guest, who brought greetings to those in attendance, and Alabama Supreme Court Justice Will Sellers as the keynote speaker.
The joint resolution and wreath laying events were held on April 3, 2025, to commemorate the exact day when Lafayette visited Montgomery 200 years prior. Murray asked Alabama House of Representative District 27 and Heroes of Kings Mountain Daughters of the American Revolution chapter member, Jeana Ross, and Alabama Senate District 14 and David Lindsay Daughters of the American Revolution chapter member, April Weaver, to bring the joint resolution before the legislative body.
The Marquis de Lafayette, along with Murray, and Alabama Society Daughters of the American Revolution State Regent, Malinda Williams spoke during the ceremony of the reading and vote on the joint resolution.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.