Find A Park > Plaza Lafayette

Plaza Lafayette

Riverside Dr., W. 181 St. To Haven Ave.

Manhattan

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This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

This plaza honors the prominent French statesman and military leader Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834).  Lafayette is best remembered for his role in the Revolutionary War.  Sympathetic to the American cause, he aided the colonists through the provision of experienced military leadership.  The Frenchman quickly became a favorite of General George Washington, who appointed him Major General in the Continental Army during 1777.  In 1778, Lafayette returned to France following the formal agreement of the France/United States alliance against Great Britain.  Once in France, he actively lobbied for the allotment of increased military and financial aid.  In 1780, Marquis de Lafayette returned to America and served valorously in the Virginia campaign, which forced the surrender of Lord Charles Cornwallis and Great Britain in 1781.

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