Lafayette—the Hero of Two Worlds

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer.

To many of us, he is simply the famous Frenchman who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

But there is much more to this amazing man than meets the eye.

Here are 10 fascinating facts about the Marquis de Lafayette that you may not be aware of.

1
Lafayette was made a King’s Musketeer at age thirteen

At just 13 years old, Lafayette entered the King’s Musketeers as a junior commissioned officer.

He was in exalted company alongside legendary musketeers like Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Artagnan—the real-life historical basis for Alexandre Dumas’s character d’Artagnan in the novel The Three Musketeers.

Reserved for nobles, the Musketeers were among the most prestigious of the military companies of the Ancien Régime—the old political and social system that had been in place in France since the late Middle Ages.

D'Artagnan at the monument to Alexandre Dumas, Paris, France
D’Artagnan at the monument to Alexandre Dumas, Paris, France

Founded in 1622 to guard the king while he was outside of the royal residences, the uniform changed from the flamboyant cavalier style of d’Artagnon to the more utilitarian dress that Lafayette would have worn (shown as the two central figures below).

Uniforms of Musketeers of the Guard, 1660-1814
Uniforms of Musketeers of the Guard, 1660-1814

In 1664, the two companies were reorganized into “Grey Musketeers”, from the color of their matched horses, and “Black Musketeers”, mounted on black horses.

Lafayette’s six years in the Black Musketeers must have served him well for what lay ahead.

2
Lafayette was instrumental in the outcome of the American Revolutionary War

Not only was Lafayette effective as a military officer with hands-on engagement in several battles, for which he was commended by Washington himself, he was also instrumental in securing French finance, troops, and ships to aid the American cause.

Charming, tall, and idealistic, the 19-year-old Lafayette had defied the French king’s orders and enlisted to fight in America for the prospect of glory, chivalry, and liberty.

Nation Makers by Howard Pyle depicts a scene from the Battle of Brandywine
Nation Makers by Howard Pyle depicts a scene from the Battle of Brandywine

Shot in the leg at his first battle at Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania, it wasn’t long before Lafayette was back on his feet again, spending the winter of 1777 camped at Valley Forge alongside Washington and the Continental Army.

Starvation, disease, malnutrition, and exposure killed more than 2,500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778.

Despite his privileged aristocratic upbringing, Lafayette willingly endured the hardship along with everyone else.

Lafayette (right) and Washington at Valley Forge
Lafayette (right) and Washington at Valley Forge

So severe were the conditions at times that even Washington was in despair.

unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place… this Army must inevitably… starve, dissolve, or disperse, in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can.

A year later, Lafayette returned to France, where his wife Adrienne gave birth to a son they named Georges Washington Lafayette.

And he also secured the promise of 6,000 French troops.

Marie Adrienne Francoise de Noailles, Marquise de La Fayette (1759-1807)
Marie Adrienne Francoise de Noailles, Marquise de La Fayette (1759-1807)

Lafayette sailed for America once more in March of 1780 in the frigate Hermione.

3
Lafayette became an American citizen before becoming  a French citizen

After the Revolutionary War in 1784, Lafayette visited America again.

He met Washington at Mount Vernon, addressed the Virginia House of Delegates and the Pennsylvania Legislature, and went to the Mohawk Valley in New York to help make peace with the Iroquois.

For his troubles and gratitude for his selfless service during the war, Harvard granted him an honorary degree, and the states of Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia granted him American citizenship.

Lafayette later boasted that he had become an American citizen before the concept of French citizenship even existed.

Greater coat of arms of the United States
Greater coat of arms of the United States

4
Lafayette was a lifelong abolitionist

Washington and Lafayette at Mount Vernon, 1784 by Rossiter and Mignot, 1859
Washington and Lafayette at Mount Vernon, 1784 by Rossiter and Mignot, 1859

Lafayette was a staunch opponent to the concept of slavery.

His writing was adopted as part of the French Constitution and included revolutionary ideas such as the freedom and equality of all men.

Although his work never specifically mentioned slavery, he made his views clear in letters to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Hoping that Washington and Jefferson might adopt his ideas to free the slaves in America, he proffered that slaves could be made free tenants on the land of plantation owners.

But his ideas fell on deaf ears, so in 1785, he bought a plantation in the French colony of Cayenne to put his experimental ideas into practice.

A lifetime abolitionist, he was also a pragmatist and recognized the crucial role slavery played in many economies.

George Washington did eventually begin implementing Lafayette’s practices in his own plantation in Mount Vernon.

And Lafayette’s own grandson, Gustave de Beaumont later released a novel discussing the issues of racism.

One of Lafayette’s publications was monumental in expediting France’s abolition of slavery in 1794—the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

5
Lafayette helped write the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Passed by Frances’ National Constituent Assembly in August 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is an important document in the history of human and civil rights.

Directly influenced by Thomas Jefferson, it states that the rights of man are held to be universal and valid at all times and in every place.

It became the basis for a nation of free individuals protected equally by the law.

Inspired by the Enlightenment, the Declaration provided the rationale for the French Revolution and had a major impact on the development of freedom and democracy in Europe and worldwide.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

6
Lafayette created the French Tricolor

After the French Revolution broke out, Lafayette was appointed commander-in-chief of the National Guard of France, tasked with maintaining order.

He proposed a new symbol for the Guard: a blue, white, and red cockade.

French revolutionaries wearing Phrygian caps and tricolor cockades and sans-culotte carrying earlier tricolor
French revolutionaries wearing Phrygian caps and tricolor cockades and sans-culotte carrying earlier tricolor

Combining the red and blue colors of Paris with the royal white, it was the origin of the French tricolor.

Multiple French flags as commonly flown from public buildings
Multiple French flags as commonly flown from public buildings

7
Lafayette and his family narrowly escaped execution in the French Revolution

As the French Revolution deepened, it became ever more extreme.

Lafayette had tried to maintain order and steer a middle ground.

But when radicals asserted control, a Reign of Terror ensued that swept even Lafayette into mortal danger.

Lafayette criticized the growing influence of the radicals and called for their parties to be “closed down by force”.

It was a risky move in the political climate of the time.

Marie Antoinette's execution in 1793 at the Place de la Révolution

An escape attempt by King Louis XVI and his family dubbed the “Flight to Varennes” had extremists like Georges Danton pointing the finger at Lafayette for allowing it to happen on his watch.

And one of the most influential figures of all—Maximilien Robespierre—labeled Lafayette a traitor.

Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre
Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre

Sensing the public mood had changed against him, Lafayette left Paris and Danton put out a warrant for his arrest.

8
Lafayette spent 5 years in prison

Hoping to return to the United States, Lafayette traveled through the Austrian Netherlands in what is now Belgium.

Expecting right of passage as a fleeing refugee, Lafayette’s luck ran out when he was recognized by the Austrians and treated as a dangerous revolutionary.

Held prisoner until such time as the monarchy was reinstated in France, he tried to use his American citizenship to secure his release.

Lafayette in prison
Lafayette in prison

Although unsuccessful, Washington and Jefferson were able to use diplomatic loopholes to get money to Lafayette, which he was able to use to secure his family’s safety.

U.S. Minister to France and future president, James Monroe used his influence to win the release of Lafayette’s wife Adrienne and their two daughters.

Lafayette is reunited with his wife and daughters
Lafayette is reunited with his wife and daughters

9
Lafayette’s reputation was used to gain support for entry into World War I

Lafayette’s name and image were repeatedly invoked in 1917 in seeking to gain popular support for America’s entry into World War I.

In a speech given in Paris during the First World War, Charles E. Stanton included a memorable expression that would become the famous phrase, “Lafayette, we are here.”

WWI poster 'Lafayette, we are here now'
WWI poster ‘Lafayette, we are here now’

Stanton visited the tomb of Lafayette along with General John J. Pershing to honor the nobleman’s assistance during the Revolutionary War and assure the French people that the people of the United States would aid them in World War I.

America has joined forces with the Allied Powers, and what we have of blood and treasure are yours. Therefore it is that with loving pride we drape the colors in tribute of respect to this citizen of your great republic. And here and now, in the presence of the illustrious dead, we pledge our hearts and our honor in carrying this war to a successful issue. Lafayette, we are here.

Sadly, Lafayette’s image suffered as a result when veterans returned from the front singing “We’ve paid our debt to Lafayette, who the hell do we owe now?”

10
Lafayette is buried under soil taken from Bunker Hill

Lafayette died on 20 May 1834, and is buried in Picpus Cemetery in Paris, under soil taken from Bunker Hill.

For his accomplishments in the service of both France and the United States, he is sometimes known as “The Hero of the Two Worlds“.

Death of General Lafayette by Gondelfinger, 1834
Death of General Lafayette by Gondelfinger, 1834
US Marines Decorating Grave of Lafayette, Picpus Cemetery, Paris 1889
US Marines Decorating Grave of Lafayette, Picpus Cemetery, Paris 1889

American journalist, historian, and author, Marc Leepson, concluded his study of Lafayette’s life:

The Marquis de Lafayette was far from perfect. He was sometimes vain, naive, immature, and egocentric. But he consistently stuck to his ideals, even when doing so endangered his life and fortune. Those ideals proved to be the founding principles of two of the world’s most enduring nations, the United States and France. That is a legacy that few military leaders, politicians, or statesmen can match.
Statue of Lafayette on north end of University of Vermont Green, sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward, 1883
Statue of Lafayette on north end of University of Vermont Green, sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward, 1883

Boston’s 17th-Century Burying Grounds

The Grim Reaper made frequent visits to colonial Boston.

Disease and the difficulties of childbirth sent many men, women, and children to an early grave.

Seven smallpox epidemics had struck Boston by 1730.

The 1721 outbreak infected over half of Boston’s 11,000 population and left 850 dead.

Almost a quarter of Boston’s 17th-century grave markers are for children below the age of 10.

Losing a spouse to disease meant that remarriage was not only encouraged but was important to the survival of their families.

Headstone carving designs often symbolized the omnipresence of death.

Skull and Crossbones headstone design. Credit Robert Linsdell
Skull and Crossbones headstone design. Credit Robert Linsdell

Headstone Carving Symbols

Used since the medieval period as a symbol of mortality and reflecting the Puritan religious influence, the Winged Skull or Death’s Head is the most common headstone carving design in Boston’s oldest burying grounds.

Winged Skull or Death's Head headstone carving
Winged Skull or Death’s Head headstone carving

Moving up on the cheerfulness scale is the much more genial Winged Face or Cherub.

Also called a “Soul Effigy“, it was a common headstone carving in the mid 1700s.

Winged Face of Cherub Headstone carving
Winged Face of Cherub Headstone carving

Popular after the American Revolution, the Urn-and-Willow symbolizes both death and mourning.

Urns are classical symbols of death because of their ancient use for holding ashes.

Weeping willows, as the name implies, symbolize sorrow at the loss of a loved one.

Urn and Willow Headstone carving
Urn and Willow Headstone carving
Three headstone carving designs placed side by side. Credit Ingfbruno
Three headstone carving designs placed side by side. Credit Ingfbruno

Wealthy Bostonians enthusiastically embraced Heraldic designs such as coats-of-arms which symbolized lineage and status.

The fruit around the edges symbolized eternal plenty.

Heraldic Headstone carving
Heraldic Headstone carving

Boston’s 17th-Century Burying Grounds

Within Boston’s three oldest burying grounds lie the remains of many of America’s pilgrims and Patriots of the American Revolution.

All three are on the Freedom Trail—a 2.5 mile path through downtown Boston passing 16 sites of historical significance.

Boston's Freedom Trail
Boston’s Freedom Trail
Map of Boston, Massachusetts
Map of Boston, Massachusetts

King’s Chapel Burying Ground

Of Boston’s three 17th-century burying grounds, the oldest is King’s Chapel Burying Ground—simply called “the burying place” when it was first opened in 1630 on the outskirts of the new Puritan Settlement.

King’s Chapel Burying Ground, Boston, 1833

Seeking religious freedom and new economic opportunity in the “New World”, those buried here in the first 30 years were predominantly English-born immigrants.

King's Chapel Burying Ground
King’s Chapel Burying Ground

Over 1,000 people are buried in the tiny space, but only 600 gravestones and 29 tabletop tombs remain.

King's Chapel Burying Ground
King’s Chapel Burying Ground

Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

Established in 1659 and located in Boston’s North End, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground was the city’s second cemetery and was originally named “North Burying Ground”.

1200 marked graves include remains of notable Bostonians from the colonial era up to the 1850s.

Looking worse for wear, the gravestones protrude at odd angles, some leaning towards the water in Boston Inner Harbor, as if pulled by a giant magnet.

Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

Ivy covers these old stones as Mother Nature tries to reclaim all traces of the dead.

But when even these stones finally return to nature, the stories of those they mark will live on in the hearts and minds of others.

Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

Rank has its privileges, even in death.

And so it was for Cotton Mather, a Puritan minister, prolific author, and pamphleteer.

Mather played a prominent role in the case of the Irish Catholic washerwoman “Goody” Ann Glover, who was convicted of witchcraft and the last person to be hanged in Boston as a witch.

But it is his later involvement in the Salem witch trials for which Cotton Mather is best remembered.

An accused ‘witch’ during the witch trials in the late 1600s. Credit Jessolsen
Trivia
Goodwife, usually abbreviated to Goody, was a polite form of address for women used in England, Scotland, and Colonial America.

After Ann Glover’s daughter was accused of stealing laundry by her employer Martha Goodwin’s own daughters, Ann found herself being accused of making the Goodwin children ill through witchcraft.

The majority of Boston’s population in the 1680s was Puritan and prejudiced against Catholics and foreigners.

A scandalous old Irishwoman, very poor, a Roman Catholic and obstinate in idolatry.Cotton Mather

Believing that the inability to say the Lord’s prayer in English was the mark of a witch, Goody Glover’s recital in Irish at her trial did not go down well with her accusers.

Whether Goody Glover chose not to speak English, or couldn’t speak it well enough is unclear, but either way she was sentenced to death on November 16, 1688, becoming the first Catholic martyr to be killed in Massachusetts.

300 years later, Boston City Council proclaimed November 16 as Goody Glover Day.

Mather Tomb at Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Mather Tomb at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground

Legend has it that the holes in Daniel Malcolm’s gravestone (below) were made by British soldiers using it as target practice.

Captain Malcolm was a member of the Sons of Liberty opposed to the Townshend Acts which were passed by the British parliament to raise revenue in the colonies to pay the salaries of governors and judges and would eventually lead to the Boston Massacre of 1770.

Daniel Martin gravestone, Copp's Hill Burial Ground
Daniel Martin gravestone, Copp’s Hill Burial Ground

Granary Burying Ground

Founded in 1660, Boston’s third-oldest cemetery is the final resting place for many notable revolutionary patriots.

Buried here are Paul Revere, the five victims of the Boston Massacre, and three signers of the Declaration of Independence: Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine.

Gateway to the Granary Burying Ground, Tremont Street, Boston, 1881
Gateway to the Granary Burying Ground, Tremont Street, Boston, 1881

The cemetery has 2,345 grave-markers, but historians estimate that as many as 5,000 people are buried here.

Granary Burying Ground
Granary Burying Ground
Granary Burying Ground
Granary Burying Ground

When you’re as revered as Paul Revere, you get a prominent memorial.

Paul Revere's memorial at the Granary Burying Ground
Paul Revere’s memorial at the Granary Burying Ground

Paul Revere is best known for alerting the colonial militia to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord in the early stages of the Revolutionary War.

Paul Revere’s midnight ride

Paul Revere also created the famous engraving of the Boston Massacre of 1770 in which British soldiers shot and killed people while under attack by a mob.

Three people in the crowd of demonstrators were killed instantly and two died later—all are buried in the Granary Burying Ground.

The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.
The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.
Boston Massacre Victims at Granary Burying Ground
Boston Massacre Victims at Granary Burying Ground

Another Patriot of the Revolution resting in this peaceful place is the merchant and statesman John Hancock—a signer of the Declaration of Independence with one of the world’s most famous and stylish signatures.

John Hancocks Signature

As one of the colonies’ wealthiest men, Hancock used his money and influence to support the colonial cause.

Accused by the British of smuggling in 1768, his sloop Liberty was confiscated.

Although charges were later dropped, his ship was never returned—instead being refitted for service in the British Royal Navy.

Allegedly, Bostonians working for Hancock had locked a British customs official in the ship’s cabin to evade taxes while they unloaded a cargo of Madeira wine.

John Hancock's memorial at the Granary Burying Ground
John Hancock’s memorial at the Granary Burying Ground

Samuel Adams was a statesman, philosopher and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

Resting in Granary Burying Ground, he was one of 12 children born in a time of high infant mortality. Only two of his siblings lived past their third birthday.

Samuel Adams's memorial at the Granary Burying Ground
Samuel Adams’s memorial at the Granary Burying Ground

Adams’s 1768 Massachusetts Circular Letter calling for non-cooperation among colonial Patriots prompted the occupation of Boston by British soldiers and eventually resulted in the Boston Massacre of 1770, the Boston Tea Party of 1773, and the American Revolution of 1776.

July 4th at Granary Burying Ground. Credit Peter H. Dreyer, City of Boston Archives
July 4th at Granary Burying Ground. Credit Peter H. Dreyer, City of Boston Archives

There are many more tales from this fascinating period in America’s history.

Next time you’re in Boston, be sure to walk the Freedom Trail, stop to look at the 17th-century burying grounds, and marvel at the stories they hold.

World War II in Color—the Greatest Generation

At the very end of the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!—about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Imperial Japan—Naval Marshal General Isoroku Yamamoto said,

I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve

America’s response to World War II was the most extraordinary mobilization in the history of the world.

We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the greatest generation.

M-3 tanks in action, Ft. Knox., Ky
M-3 tanks in action, Ft. Knox., Ky
A young soldier of the armored forces holds and sights his Garand rifle like an old timer, 1942
A young soldier of the armored forces holds and sights his Garand rifle like an old timer, 1942
An M3 Stuart light tank going through water obstacle, Ft Knox, KY, 1942
An M3 Stuart light tank going through water obstacle, Ft Knox, KY, 1942
Crewman of an M-3 tank, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
Crewman of an M-3 tank, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
Combustion Engineering Co., Chattanooga. Welder making boilers for a ship
Combustion Engineering Co., Chattanooga. Welder making boilers for a ship
Cleaning the air filter of an army truck 1942
Cleaning the air fillter of an army truck 1942
M3 Stuart light tanks at Fort Knox, Kentucky, 1942
M3 Stuart light tanks at Fort Knox, Kentucky, 1942
M-3 and M4 tank company at bivouac, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
M-3 and M4 tank company at bivouac, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
Halftrack infantryman with Garand rifle, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
Halftrack infantryman with Garand rifle, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
Better known as the Flying Fortress, the B-17F bomber is a later model of the B-17, which distinguished itself in action in the south Pacific, over Germany and elsewhere. It is a long range, high altitude, heavy bomber, with a crew of seven to nine men -- and with armament sufficient to defend itself on daylight missions
A girl riveting machine operator at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant joins sections of wing ribs to reinforce the inner wing assemblies of B-17F heavy bombers, Long Beach, Calif. Better known as the Flying Fortress, the B-17F bomber is a later model of the B-17, which distinguished itself in action in the south Pacific, over Germany and elsewhere. It is a long range, high altitude, heavy bomber, with a crew of seven to nine men — and with armament sufficient to defend itself on daylight missions
M-3 tanks and crews, Ft. Knox, Ky
M-3 tanks and crews, Ft. Knox, Ky
Hitler would like this man to go home and forget about the war. A good American non-com at the side machine gun of a huge YB-17 bomber is a man who knows his business and works hard at it.
Hitler would like this man to go home and forget about the war. A good American non-com at the side machine gun of a huge YB-17 bomber is a man who knows his business and works hard at it.
B-25 bombers on the outdoor assembly line at the North American Aviation plant in Kansas City, Kansas. Almost ready for their first test flight.
B-25 bombers on the outdoor assembly line at the North American Aviation plant in Kansas City, Kansas. Almost ready for their first test flight.
Women workers install fixtures and assemblies to a tail fuselage section of a B-17 bomber at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant, Long Beach, Calif. Better known as the "Flying Fortress," the B-17F is a later model of the B-17, which distinguished itself i
Women workers install fixtures and assemblies to a tail fuselage section of a B-17 bomber at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant, Long Beach, Calif. Better known as the “Flying Fortress,” the B-17F is a later model of the B-17, which distinguished itself i
Mounting of a Wright R-2600 Cyclone engine on a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, at North American Aviation, Inglewood, California (USA). The Wright R-2600 was the standard engine on the B-25.[1] Original description: "Mounting motor [on a] Fairfax B-25 bomber, at North American Aviation, Inc., plant in [Inglewood], Calif."
Mounting of a Wright R-2600 Cyclone engine on a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, at North American Aviation, Inglewood, California (USA). The Wright R-2600 was the standard engine on the B-25.[1] Original description: “Mounting motor Fairfax B-25 bomber, at North American Aviation, Inc., plant in , Calif.”
An experimental scale model of the B-25 plane is prepared for wind tunnel tests in the plant of the North American Aviation, Inc, Inglewood, Calif, The model maker holds an exact miniature reproduction of the type of bomb the plane will carry.
An experimental scale model of the B-25 plane is prepared for wind tunnel tests in the plant of the North American Aviation, Inc, Inglewood, Calif, The model maker holds an exact miniature reproduction of the type of bomb the plane will carry.
A U.S. Navy aviation cadet in training on a Vought OS2U Kingfisher at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas (USA)
A U.S. Navy aviation cadet in training on a Vought OS2U Kingfisher at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas (USA)
A North American Mustang Mk. IA on a test flight from NAA's Inglewood, California facility in October 1942. The painted-over serial number appears to be 41-37416. According to Warbird-Central.com it was damaged during shipment to Europe in late 1943.
A North American Mustang Mk. IA on a test flight from NAA’s Inglewood, California facility in October 1942. The painted-over serial number appears to be 41-37416. According to Warbird-Central.com it was damaged during shipment to Europe in late 1943.
American mothers and sisters, like these women at the Douglas Aircraft Company, give important help in producing dependable planes for their men at the front, Long Beach, Calif. Most important of the many types of aircraft made at this plant are the B-17F
American mothers and sisters, like these women at the Douglas Aircraft Company, give important help in producing dependable planes for their men at the front, Long Beach, Calif. Most important of the many types of aircraft made at this plant are the B-17F
A U.S. Navy Brewster SB2A-4 Buccaneer in flight near Vero Beach, Florida (USA), in 1942
A U.S. Navy Brewster SB2A-4 Buccaneer in flight near Vero Beach, Florida (USA), in 1942
Parade of M-4 (General Sherman) and M-3 (General Grant) tanks in training maneuvers, Ft. Knox, Ky,1942
Parade of M-4 (General Sherman) and M-3 (General Grant) tanks in training maneuvers, Ft. Knox, Ky,1942
Tank commander, Ft. Knox, Ky.
Tank commander, Ft. Knox, Ky.
Tank crew standing in front of M4 Sherman tank; Fort Knox, Kentucky, 1942
Tank crew standing in front of M4 Sherman tank; Fort Knox, Kentucky, 1942
Tank driver, Ft. Knox, Ky, 1942
Tank driver, Ft. Knox, Ky, 1942
Switch boxes on the firewalls of B-25 bombers are assembled by women workers at North American Aviation, Inc's Inglewood, Calif, plant
Switch boxes on the firewalls of B-25 bombers are assembled by women workers at North American Aviation, Inc’s Inglewood, Calif, plant
Servicing an A-20 bomber, Langley Field, Va
Servicing an A-20 bomber, Langley Field, Va
Production of B-24 bombers and C-87 transports, Consolidated Aircraft Corp., Fort Worth, Texas. Cabbie Coleman, former housewife, works at western aircraft plant
Production of B-24 bombers and C-87 transports, Consolidated Aircraft Corp., Fort Worth, Texas. Cabbie Coleman, former housewife, works at western aircraft plant
Operating a hand drill at North American Aviation, Inc, a woman is working in the control surface department assembling a section of the leading edge for the horizontal stabilizer of a plane, Inglewood, Calif.
Operating a hand drill at North American Aviation, Inc, a woman is working in the control surface department assembling a section of the leading edge for the horizontal stabilizer of a plane, Inglewood, Calif.
North American NA-91 Mustang fighters being serviced at North American Aviation at Inglewood, California (USA), in October 1942. After passing of the lend-lease act in March 1941, the USAAF ordered 150 NA-93 Mustang Mk IA fighters on 25 September 1941 for delivery to the United Kingdom. The RAF serial numbers assigned were FD418-FD567 (FD553 is visible on the left). For contractual purposes, these aircraft were assigned the U.S. designation of P-51 (USAAF serials 41-37320 to 41-37469). The Mustang IA differed from earlier versions in having the machine guns replaced by four 20 mm wing-mounted Hispano cannon. After December 1941 serials FD418-FD437, FD450-FD464, FD466-FD469, and FD510-FD527 were reposessed by the USAAF (and briefly named A-36A Apache). Original caption: "P-51 fighter planes being prepared for test flight at the field of the North American Aviation, Inc., plant in Inglewood, Calif.
North American NA-91 Mustang fighters being serviced at North American Aviation at Inglewood, California (USA), in October 1942. After passing of the lend-lease act in March 1941, the USAAF ordered 150 NA-93 Mustang Mk IA fighters on 25 September 1941 for delivery to the United Kingdom. The RAF serial numbers assigned were FD418-FD567 (FD553 is visible on the left). For contractual purposes, these aircraft were assigned the U.S. designation of P-51 (USAAF serials 41-37320 to 41-37469). The Mustang IA differed from earlier versions in having the machine guns replaced by four 20 mm wing-mounted Hispano cannon. After December 1941 serials FD418-FD437, FD450-FD464, FD466-FD469, and FD510-FD527 were reposessed by the USAAF (and briefly named A-36A Apache). Original caption: “P-51 fighter planes being prepared for test flight at the field of the North American Aviation, Inc., plant in Inglewood, Calif.
M-4 tank, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
M-4 tank, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
M-4 tank crews of the United States, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
M-4 tank crews of the United States, Ft. Knox, KY, 1942
Assembling the North American B-25 Mitchell at Kansas City, Kansas (USA).
Assembling the North American B-25 Mitchell at Kansas City, Kansas (USA).
North American B-25 bomber is prepared for painting on the outside assembly line, North American Aviation, Inc., Inglewood, Calif
North American B-25 bomber is prepared for painting on the outside assembly line, North American Aviation, Inc., Inglewood, Calif
Part of the cowling for one of the motors for a B-25 bomber is assembled in the engine department of North American Aviation's Inglewood, Calif., plant
Part of the cowling for one of the motors for a B-25 bomber is assembled in the engine department of North American Aviation’s Inglewood, Calif., plant
Bomb bay gasoline tanks for long flights of B-25 bombers await assembly in the plant of North American Aviation, Inc., Inglewood, Calif. This plant produces the battle-tested B-25 ("Billy Mitchell") bomber used in General Doolittle's raid on Tokyo, and the P-51 ("Mustang") fighter plane which was first brought into prominence by the British raid on Dieppe.
Bomb bay gasoline tanks for long flights of B-25 bombers await assembly in the plant of North American Aviation, Inc., Inglewood, Calif. This plant produces the battle-tested B-25 (“Billy Mitchell”) bomber used in General Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo, and the P-51 (“Mustang”) fighter plane which was first brought into prominence by the British raid on Dieppe.
A combat crew receives final instructions just before taking off in a YB-17 bomber from a bombardment squadron base at the field, Langley Field, Va.
A combat crew receives final instructions just before taking off in a YB-17 bomber from a bombardment squadron base at the field, Langley Field, Va.
Annette del Sur publicizing salvage campaign in yard of Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif.
Annette del Sur publicizing salvage campaign in yard of Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif.

References
The Way We Won: America’s Economic Breakthrough During World War II
Wikipedia.org

The Statue of Liberty — Enlightening the World

The story of the Statue of Liberty is one of the most compelling celebrations of freedom and democracy the world has ever known.

It was 1865. The American Civil War had just ended, and along with it, slavery abolished.

After-dinner conversation

Across the Atlantic in France, two men sat engaged in an after-dinner conversation. One was French legal scholar and anti-slavery activist Édouard René de Laboulaye, and the other, French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.

Édouard René de Laboulaye (left) and Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
Édouard René de Laboulaye (left) and Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi

Laboulaye had been thinking about ways to strengthen the relationship between France and the United States. But more than that, he hoped that by helping the US celebrate freedom and democracy, the French people would be inspired to rise up against what he saw as the repressive monarchy of Napoleon III.

A gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and a universal symbol of freedom and democracy
A gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and a universal symbol of freedom and democracy

“How fitting it would be if France and the United States could build a monument together to celebrate our solidarity for freedom,” Laboulaye said to Bartholdi.

“What a magnificent idea,” Bartholdi agreed. “Imagine a colossal statue of the Roman goddess Libertas—the very embodiment of Liberty.”

“Madame Liberté!” exclaimed Laboulaye.  “She could carry a torch and tablet inscribed with one of the most important dates in history—July 4, 1776.”

Detail of the tablet with inscription July IV. MDCCLXXVI
Detail of the tablet with inscription July IV. MDCCLXXVI

War and Republic

But France was fast approaching its own war—the Franco Prussian War of 1870. Madame Liberté would have to wait.

Lasting less than a year, the war came to an end in May 1871. Laboulaye got his wish, with France becoming a Republic. Bartholdi started work on the great statue.

Workmen constructing the Statue of Liberty in Bartholdi's Parisian warehouse, 1882
Workmen constructing the Statue of Liberty in Bartholdi’s Parisian warehouse, 1882

The Franco-American Union

Laboulaye envisioned France paying for the statue itself  and the US providing the pedestal.

First to be completed and exhibited was the torch-bearing arm, put on show in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and again in Madison Square Park, Manhattan from 1876 – 1882.

Statue of Liberty Arm, 1876, Phildadelphia Centennial Exposition
Statue of Liberty Arm, 1876, Phildadelphia Centennial Exposition

Can you imagine Lady Liberty’s arm on display for a whole six years in Manhattan? Such was the reality, as Americans hunted for funding to complete the pedestal.

Crowdfunding

It took a drive for donations by Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World newspaper before enough funds were gathered. 120,000 people contributed, with most paying less than a dollar.

The American Committee charged with building the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty didn't complete it until May 1886—10 years after the centennial of the Declaration of Independence.
The American Committee charged with building the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty didn’t complete it until May 1886—10 years after the centennial of the Declaration of Independence.

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses

Also contributing to the fund raising effort was a young American-Jewish poet by the name of Emma Lazarus. She wrote a heartwarming poem called “The New Colossus” which challenged the original philosophy of the great statue as being for shared republican ideals between the United States and France.

The Great Bartholdi Statue

Through her poem, Emma Lazarus offered a new vision for Madame Liberté, not as a monument to military might, but as a symbol of freedom, enlightenment, and compassion. A beacon of light where there was darkness. A land of hope where there was tyranny.

The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus… (Click to view)

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
—Emma Lazarus

Constructed in France, then shipped in crates to Liberty Island—then known as Bedloe’s Island—assembly of the great statue on the completed pedestal began in May, 1886.

Sections of Liberty
Sections of Liberty

Presided over by President Grover Cleveland, the great statue of Bartholdi was opened in 1886. New York held it’s first ticker-tape parade to celebrate.

Statue of Liberty unveiled by Edward Moran, 1886
Statue of Liberty unveiled by Edward Moran, 1886

Liberty Enlightening the World

Millions and millions have since come through New York Harbor from every corner of the globe, gazing upon the outstretched arm of the Statue of Liberty and dreaming of a new life.

Welcome to the land of freedom - an ocean steamer passing the Statue of Liberty, 1887
Welcome to the land of freedom – an ocean steamer passing the Statue of Liberty, 1887
Not war and conquest, but freedom enlightenment and compassion.
—Alicia Ostriker

6 Secrets to Success from Teddy Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919), or “TR” as he’s affectionately called, was the 26th President of the United States and a leading force of the Progressive Era. He was also an author, explorer, soldier, naturalist, and reformer.

Although sickly as a child, suffering debilitating asthma, he regained health through a strenuous lifestyle. His high-spirited personality, broad range of interests, and “cowboy” persona made him world-famous.

Ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents, his face adorns Mount Rushmore alongside Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln.

Here are six of TR’s best-known quotes that helped make him an icon.

1. Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground

Dream big, but keep it grounded in reality. Roosevelt was a Republican Progressive with high ideals. Biographer H. W. Brands notes, “Even his friends occasionally wondered whether there wasn’t any custom or practice too minor for him to try to regulate, update or otherwise improve.”

But Roosevelt kept his feet firmly planted on the ground by making conservation a top priority. He established national parks, forests, and monuments in order to preserve the nation’s natural wonders.

He reached for the stars but never got too big for his boots.

Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir at Glacier Point in Yosemite, 1903.

2. Believe you can and you’re halfway there

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According to the Mayo Clinic, low self-esteem can be harmful to virtually all areas of our lives, including relationships, career, and health.

Teddy Roosevelt overcame severe asthma as a sickly child to become the very model of masculine health. His secret? Self-belief.

No matter how disadvantaged we may think we are, positive self-belief can transform our lives.

One look at the conviction in TRs eyes gives me goosebumps—that’s the look of self-belief.

3. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are

At the outbreak of war with Spain in 1898, the US Army was much smaller than it had been during the Civil War. President McKinley called upon volunteers to form a regiment initially called “Wood’s Weary Walkers” after commander Colonel Leonard Wood. Although they were supposed to be cavalry, they had to make do with fighting on foot.

Second in command was Theodore Roosevelt who later took charge and renamed his volunteers the “Rough Riders”.

In the Battle of San Juan of the Spanish–American War, the Rough Riders gained notoriety for doing what they could, with what they had, where they were.

On the day of the big fight I had to ask my men to do a deed that European military writers consider utterly impossible of performance, that is, to attack over open ground an unshaken infantry armed with the best modern repeating rifles behind a formidable system of entrenchments. The only way to get them to do it in the way it had to be done was to lead them myself.
Roosevelt and his Rough Riders celebrate victory. Battle of San Juan, Cuba.

4. Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care

This is quite possibly the most powerful of TRs quotes because of the breadth and depth of its implications.

Whether you’re leading a team or organization, a road-warrior salesperson, a customer service agent, a medical practitioner, a marketing executive … whatever you do in life, the same wisdom applies—nobody really cares what you say until they believe how much you care.

President and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt seated on lawn, surrounded by their family, 1903

5. Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far

The exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis.

That’s how Roosevelt described his brand of foreign policy that became known as “Big Stick ideology”.

He used military muscle several times throughout his two terms with a more subtle touch to complement his diplomatic policies. But he also used Big Stick ideology in other contexts, with an emphasis on diplomacy.

In 1902, 140,000 miners went on strike, wanting higher pay, shorter work hours, and better housing.

The prospect of a coal shortage posed a serious threat to the fragile economy of the time. But instead of sending in the military as was the norm before Roosevelt, he hosted a meeting in the White House involving mining union representatives and mining company leaders.

When the miners voted to continue with the strike, Roosevelt used the military, not for force, but to run the mines in the “public interest”.

The mining companies realized they were losing profits, and so gave in to the miners’ demands.

Roosevelt could wield just as much power with a pen as he could with a sword.

The pen is mightier than the swordEdward Bulwer-Lytton

6. Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing

We spend most of our waking hours at work and our jobs can influence our lives beyond the workplace. The type of work we do is part of our identity and can reflect what’s important to us.

Research by Brent D. Rosso, PhD, showed that when people find meaning in their work, it increases motivation, engagement, empowerment, career development, job satisfaction, individual performance and personal fulfillment—and also decreases absenteeism and stress (Research in Organizational Behavior, 2010).

Suggestions for Further Reading

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