Unabridged English Translation

by Alan R. Hoffman

Original Title: Lafayette en Amérique en 1824 et 1825 – published in French in 1829

Author: Auguste Levasseur, Private Secretary to General Lafayette During His Trip

“Alan R. Hoffman has made a very great contribution with his translation of Levasseur’s Journal.”

—David McCullough, author of 1776, John Adams and Truman

“What a terrific account of America in the 1820s! How fortunate we are that Levasseur kept this journal and that Alan R. Hoffman found and translated it.”

—Robert J. Allison, Professor of History, Suffolk University

• Meet a superstar of the 19th century, closely acquainted with the first six US presidents, and beloved by rich and poor alike.
• Though French, Lafayette was made an American general at 19. He became the “Hero of Yorktown”.
• Trace his steps as he travels through a young America, 50 years after the Revolution.
• Learn details of Lafayette’s private visits with the Founding Fathers.
• Discover Lafayette’s enlightened views on slavery and the plight of Native Americans.

Auguste Levasseur’s Lafayette in America is a journal of General Lafayette’s 1824-1825 Farewell Tour of all 24 United States. In this book, Lafayette’s private secretary describes how the now 67-year-old hero of the American Revolution and apostle of liberty in Europe was welcomed in an adoring frenzy by the American people. Lafayette was the sole surviving major general of the Continental Army. With its panoramic view of the young country — its burgeoning cities and towns, its technological innovations like the Erie Canal, and its industrious people — this book captures America on the cusp of its jubilee year.

Levasseur also chronicles Lafayette’s affectionate visits with his old friends John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, and his encounter with Senator Andrew Jackson. A keen observer, Levasseur gives us a sense of the characters of these men who, with Lafayette’s paternal friend George Washington, led the United States through its first six decades.