Lafayette in New York City

Sponsored by American Friends of Lafayette

• Location: New York
• Travel Type: Driving
• Tour Duration: 1.5 hour
• Language:

About This Tour
More than four decades after the American Revolution, one of its most celebrated heroes, Major General Lafayette, traveled from his French homeland to visit the United States one last time. Millions of Americans flocked to see him during his Farewell Tour of all 24 of the young country’s existing states, plus Washington, D.C., which was called Washington City then.

Why was General Lafayette greeted like a nineteenth-century rock star throughout the country? Was it his heroic feats in battle and diplomatic successes during the war? His close relationship with George Washington? Or his open and deeply felt commitment to liberty and the “rights of man” — all men and women, including those still held in bondage in this country?

This mobile audio tour explores these questions while following in the footsteps of this fascinating historical icon. It features 27 stories about the places that Lafayette visited in New York City during different phases of his Farewell Tour, including:

·  Staten Island
·  Battery Park
·  New York City Hall
·  City Hall Park
·  Brooklyn Navy Yard
·  Fulton Pier
·  The African Burial Ground National Monument site
·  Columbia College (now part of Columbia University)
·  Fort Lafayette
·  St. Paul’s Chapel
·  Free School No. 3
·  African Free School
·  Trinity Church
·  Castle Garden
·  And much more!

Other Tour Highlights
This audio tour brings New York City of 1824 and 1825 to life, exploring the issues and trends of the day as Lafayette encountered them during his visit, such as:

·  The abolitionist movement and the status of slavery in New York
·  America’s new experiment of self-governance under a “free constitution”
·  The creation of Castle Garden on a manmade island, which was eventually expanded to form today’s Battery Park
·  The U.S. Navy’s early shipbuilding triumphs
·  Formation of the Society of the Cincinnati to preserve human rights and liberties
·  New York’s first public schools
·  Theater and entertainment infused with politics and international intrigue
·  The importance of religious freedom and the influences of various religions and philosophies on the country’s founders, from Christianity to Deism and Freemasonry
·  How the National Guard was named in honor of Lafayette

Created by historians who are dedicated to preserving Lafayette’s legacy, this mobile audio tour will ignite your own passion for the history of the United States and the ideals upon which it was built.
 
Tour Sponsor
This tour is brought to you by the American Friends of Lafayette (AFL), an historical and patriotic society whose purpose is to educate the public about the life and career of General Lafayette through educational programs, publications, lectures, and commemorative events.

The AFL intends to commemorate Lafayette’s Farewell Tour by holding events 200 years to the day after his 1824 and 1825 visits, at the same places where he stopped.
 
Find More Tours Near You
If you are interested in more audio tours about Lafayette and the American Revolution, you’ll enjoy Lafayette in Hampton Roads, Lafayette in North Carolina, Lafayette in Central Virginia, Revolution on the Hudson, and Ten Crucial Days. To find more tours in New York — or wherever your travels may take you — visit TravelStorys.com. Every place has a story!