| Activity | The Marquis de la Fayette was born at Chavagniac, France, in 1757. He fought against the British during the American War of Independence. He became a hero and friend of George Washington (1732 - 1799). In the French National Assemby of 1789 he presented a draft of the declaration of the Rights of Man, based on the American Declaration of Independence. He won the first victories of the Revolutionary Wars and was imprisoned by the Austrians until Napoleon obtained his release in 1797. During the Restoration he sat in the Chamber of Deputies (1818 - 1824), became a radical leader of the Opposition (1825 - 1830) and commanded the National Guard in the 1830 Revolution. He died in 1834. |