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The Conversation USA

Lafayette helped Americans turn the tide in their fight for independence – and 50 years later, he helped forge the growing nation’s sense of identity

  • Written by Matthew Smith, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, Miami University
imageJean Marie Joseph Bove's depiction of Lafayette returning to the U.S. The caption says, 'A great man belongs to the whole universe.'Blancheteau Collection/Cornell University Library via Wikimedia Commons

America is nearing the 250th anniversary of its revolutionary birth, the Declaration of Independence. July 4, 2026, will mark a milestone –...

Read more: Lafayette helped Americans turn the tide in their fight for independence – and 50 years later, he...

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