The Spirit of Lafayette

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About this book

An aristocratic upbringing and a commitment to popular government sit side by side in James Mott Hallowell's portrait of Lafayette. The account follows the young French nobleman's decision to support the American struggle for independence, his willingness to pay for a passage across the Atlantic, and his service under Washington. Hallowell presents these episodes as evidence of a devotion to liberty that crosses national borders.

Written in the setting of the First World War, the book connects this earlier French aid with the presence of American soldiers in France. Letters to Lafayette's wife and statements to American public bodies help carry the argument from personal conviction to international cooperation. Readers interested in political biography can see how Hallowell turns a soldier's life into a case for democracy, while also examining America's own record of government.