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Diane Windham Shaw, College archivist and special collections librarian, will present a public lecture and be part of an expert discussion panel during the 74th Massachusetts Lafayette Day celebration May 20 at the Massachusetts State House.
The annual celebration marks the anniversary of the death of the Marquis de Lafayette and acknowledges the role he played in the American Revolution. It is organized by the Massachusetts Lafayette Society, the Consulate General of France in partnership with the office of State Senator Richard T. Moore, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and Le Souvenir Français.
Shaw’s lecture will focus on the Marquis’ advocacy for the abolition of slavery. The panel discussion will look at “Lafayette and the Role of France in the American Revolution.” Other panelists include Robert Darnton, director of the Harvard University Library, and David Hackett Fischer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Washington’s Crossing and Earl Warren Professor of History at Brandeis University.
Throughout the 2007-08 academic year, Lafayette College celebrated the life and legacy of the Marquis de Lafayette, the man for whom the College is named, in observance of the 250th anniversary of the Marquis’ birth. Major events included a lecture series featuring renowned speakers, a historical exhibit focusing on the Marquis’ close relationship with George Washington, and a birthday party on Sept. 6, 2007.