2023-2024 State Theme: “France: America’s First Wingman”

The French played a critical role in the American Revolution, offering their military support starting in 1778 and culminating in the Victory at Yorktown.  Figures like the Comte de Rochambeau, Marquis de Lafayette, and the Comte de Grasse fought side-by-side with American patriots.  French and American troops marched together on what is now known as the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, which stretches 670 miles from Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia.  Today, this historic road runs through forests, along modern highways, and even through private property.

A key French patriot was the Marquis de Lafayette — only 19 years old at the time he joined the American Revolution.  Fifty years later, as the last surviving major general of the Revolutionary War, Lafayette returned and toured all of the 24 states in the United States from July 1824 to September 1825. He was received with a hero’s welcome, and many honors and monuments were presented to commemorate and memorialize the visit.

2023-2024 State Project:  A partnership with the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association (W3R) and the American Friends of Lafayette (AFL).  The first $2000 raised will fund education banners about Lafayette in advance of the 2024 Bicentennial of his tour.  Additional funds will fund a documentary about the historic Route, to be viewed in Virginia schools and beyond.  Our fundraising goal is $20,000. 

To donate to the State Project, please use the Project Patron Form (Once updated!).