A stirring biography of the Marquis de Lafayette, who played a pivotal role in the American Revolution, and upon returning to his native France did the same in the French Revolution, afterward suffering exile and imprisonment in Prussia for his efforts. In 1824 Lafayette was invited by Congress and President James Monroe to pay a return visit to the United States. In his year-long travels around the country, he was warmly welcomed in one community after another, and sailed back to Europe impressed by the possibilities for the future of the United States he helped found.

From the Yesterday's Classics edition