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Secondary sourceBook1848

The Life of Gilbert Motier de Lafayette

Ebenezer Mack · 1848

An 1848 biography describing Lafayette as a marquis, general, and champion of liberty in both America and France.

A mid-nineteenth-century biography presenting Lafayette's life as a model of revolutionary friendship and liberty.

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About this source

What it is

Written by Ebenezer Mack and published in 1848, this biography describes Lafayette as a French marquis, a general in both the American and French Revolutions, and a friend of George Washington. The author says he drew on numerous sources to compile it.

Why it matters

Published in the generation after Lafayette's death, the book shows how Americans of the mid-1800s understood his role as a defender of liberty on both sides of the Atlantic. It reflects the growing legend of Lafayette as a symbol of revolutionary friendship between France and the United States.

Look closer

  • Why does the author call his book an account 'from numerous and authentic sources'?
  • How might a biography written for an American audience in 1848 differ from one written in France?
  • What historical events connect Lafayette to Washington according to this book?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Marquis de Lafayette on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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