HLS 24RS-2730 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 146
BY REPRESENTATIVES BAYHAM AND GALLE
COMMENDATIONS: Commends the American Friends of Lafayette and recognizes their
efforts to celebrate and commemorate General et Marquis de La Fayette's seven-day
visit to Louisiana in 1825
1 A RESOLUTION
2To commend the American Friends of Lafayette and to recognize their efforts to celebrate
3 and commemorate General et Marquis de La Fayette's seven-day visit to Louisiana
4 in 1825.
5 WHEREAS, from August 15th of this year through September of 2025, the American
6Friends of Lafayette will celebrate the significant contributions made by Marie-Joseph Paul
7Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, towards American independence and
8the bicentennial of Lafayette's "The Nation's Guest" Tour; and
9 WHEREAS, as a 19-year-old French general in 1777, Marquis de La Fayette defied
10King Louis XVI's direct orders not to get involved in the conflict between Great Britain and
11its American colonies, and instead he joined the Continental Army to fight the British; and
12 WHEREAS, General Lafayette quickly proved himself in battle and was recognized
13by General George Washington; and
14 WHEREAS, General Lafayette displayed outstanding leadership while serving
15alongside Colonel Alexander Hamilton during the siege of Yorktown, which eliminated the
16crucial British redoubts 9 and 10 and eventually forced General Lord Cornwallis's surrender
17and turned the tide of the war; and
18 WHEREAS, General Lafayette's participation in the American cause for
19independence played a pivotal role in convincing France to enter the war; the French
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HR NO. 146
1financial and miliary assistance directly contributed to the Continental Army's victory over
2Great Britain, which led to our nation's independence; and
3 WHEREAS, in 1824, President James Monroe and congress believed that American
4patriotism was waning; the last surviving general of the American Revolution, General
5Lafayette, was invited to tour the twenty-four states of the Union in hopes of reigniting pride
6in our nation; the six thousand-mile, thirteen-month-long tour was an enormous success; and
7 WHEREAS, the American Friends of Lafayette is a historical society founded in
81932 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, that is honoring the contributions of
9General et Marquis de La Fayette with a celebration of the Bicentennial of Lafayette's tour;
10the celebration features commemorative events around the country to mark events such as
11Lafayette's historic seven-day visit to Louisiana in 1825; and
12 WHEREAS, Lafayette was rightfully acknowledged by the French philosopher
13Voltaire as "the hero of two worlds"; the American Friends of Lafayette are working with
14numerous local organizations in Louisiana, including the Louisiana State Museum; events
15will include a Lafayette historical exhibit at the Cabildo.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
17Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend the American Friends of Lafayette and
18recognizes their efforts to celebrate and commemorate the significant contributions made by
19General et Marquis de La Fayette during his seven-day visit to Louisiana in 1825 and does
20hereby extend sincerest wishes that the commemorative celebration reignites pride in both
21American and Louisiana history.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 146 Original 2024 Regular Session Bayham
Commends the American Friends of Lafayette and recognizes their efforts to celebrate and
commemorate the significant contributions made by General et Marquis de La Fayette
during his seven-day visit to La. in 1825.
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