Lafayette Square

Welcome, fellow students of history, to Lafayette Square. As we stand here on the southern edge of this verdant, meticulously landscaped park, the imposing and iconic north portico of the White House looms directly before us…

Here in the southeast corner of the square stands the monument to the Marquis de Lafayette. Observe the classical elegance of the statue, the resolute posture of the French nobleman who became an indispensable friend to the…

Let us pause here along the eastern pathway to continue the saga of the Marquis de Lafayette. Fleeing the madness of revolutionary France, Lafayette hoped to find safe haven elsewhere in Europe. …

We now stand in the center of Lafayette Square. Around us, the city moves at a frenetic pace, but I want to transport you back to the year eighteen twenty-four. …

Welcome to the southwest corner of the park. Before you stands the monument to Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, though for the sake of brevity, we shall simply refer to him as Rochambeau. …

We now find ourselves at the northeast corner of Lafayette Square, gazing up at the statue of a man whose name often challenges English speakers: Thaddeus Kosciuszko. Pronounced phonetically as Kosh-choosh-ko, this brilliant…

As we walk along the northern edge of Lafayette Square, taking in the grand perspective of the park, it is worth addressing the overarching design of the monuments we have just visited. You will recall the myth I mentioned…

As we conclude our scholarly exploration of Lafayette Square, standing midway along its eastern path, take one final look at the canopy of trees and the bronze sentinels standing watch over the nation’s capital. What we have…