Contact information
Email:
bicentennial@lafayette.edu
Categories:
When:
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - 12:00pm - 1:15pm
Where:
Gendebien room, Skillman Library
Presenter:
Diane Windham Shaw, Director Emerita, Special Collections and College Archives, Lafayette College
This presentation will look at the role of the Marquis de Lafayette in the Antislavery Movement, which became one of the signature causes of his life. From his first encounters with enslaved men and women when he arrived in America in 1777, as well as during the course of the American Revolution, to his purchase of an estate in French Guiana in 1785 to try an experiment in gradual emancipation, Lafayette embraced the movement and its proponents in France, England, and America. Lafayette's return to America in 1824-25 gave him another opportunity to show support for African Americans, who knew that he was their friend and champion.
Lunch will served at noon, followed by the lecture at 12:15 p.m.