"NEVER HEARD OF HIM!"

[leVieux]

(from my files)

Jean-Marie Motier

What's in a name?

One of the most famous and revered figures of both American and European History was:

"Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier", AKA "Jean-Marie Motier".

This Gentleman was a GIANT of the 18th & 19th Centuries, yet his name is foreign to so many.

He has been called the "GodFather" of the United States, although never an "American".

He was George Washington's biggest supporter and close Friend.

Many cities, counties, high schools, even a U S University and geographic features worldwide, are named for him, yet none of our children or even our elders recognizes his name !

How could this be ?

"Google" the name and see what comes up.

Bon Jour,
leVieux

 

[Sock Puppet]

I couldn't find anything under the moniker "Jean-Marie Motier, but I did find he was also known as the Marquis de La Fayette. Or, to most Americans simply as "Lafayette".

 

[BRD@66]

Monkeys always look.

 

[45tex]

To this day we really don't know what became of him

 

[seeker_two]

To this day we really don't know what became of him

 

[leVieux]

I couldn't find anything under the moniker "Jean-Marie Motier, but I did find he was also known as the Marquis de La Fayette. Or, to most Americans simply as "Lafayette".

Yes, but point is that is not and never was, his actual name. It is like saying "We are going to name it after Admiral Nimitz from Fredericksburg, so we'll call it "Fredericksburg".

 

[Axxe55]

I'm thinking some might be hitting the Rittenhouse Rye a little early today!

Just an observation!

 

[Sock Puppet]

Monkeys always look.

Thank you for your insightful rejoinder.

Yes, but point is that is not and never was, his actual name. It is like saying "We are going to name it after Admiral Nimitz from Fredericksburg, so we'll call it "Fredericksburg".

I don't disagree. Welcome to the American mindset...

 

[Glenn B]

It was his nickname.

 

[leVieux]

It was his nickname.

Not exactly. It came from his title as "Minor Royalty", was his place of origin.

 

[Glenn B]

Not exactly. It came from his title as "Minor Royalty", was his place of origin.

And thus when used to call him by it, it became his nickname.

 

[Axxe55]

<Sigh>

 

[General Zod]

It wasn't unusual for European nobility to be known by their titles rather than their names, especially back then. That's why when you put some meat and cheese between two slices of bread you're making a "sandwich", not a "montagu". The sandwich was named after John Mantagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich.

 

[skfullgun]

Henceforth, I choose to be known as the "Earl of Happy Hour".

Anyone care to join me in my compulsory duties as such?

 

[Axxe55]

Henceforth, I choose to be known as the "Earl of Happy Hour".

Anyone care to join me in my compulsory duties as such?

From here on out, I wished to be addressed as "Lord Axxe, of the All-Night Tavern"

 

[Davetex]

 

[gamboolman]

I'm thinking some might be hitting the Rittenhouse Rye a little early today!

Just an observation!

 

[Danny2021]

Cheers! Rittenhouse Rye at about $25 plus tax is an excellent deal for a tasty whiskey in my opinion.

 

[easy rider]

Yes, but point is that is not and never was, his actual name. It is like saying "We are going to name it after Admiral Nimitz from Fredericksburg, so we'll call it "Fredericksburg".

Do you really believe he would have been remembered by his real name? I believe Lafayette is much easier for Americans to remember than even his shortened name. Even General Pershing said "Lafayette, we are here" at his tomb in Paris during WWI.

 

[Texasjack]

Lafayette had a very interesting history, and there was an amazing love story with his wife. (It was an arranged marriage - typical for the time - but they fell madly in love and would stick together through some incredibly hard times.) He was a full-blown hero in America, and the number of places named Lafayette or some version of that (Fayetteville) is staggering.

There were quite a few foreign nobles that joined the American Revolution - which is kind of ironic since the revolution was all about throwing out the nobles. Friedrich Von Steuben, who had been a captain in the Prussian army, trained Washington's men on how to load their rifles quickly and how to fight against bayonets. He turned Washington's volunteers into soldiers of the same quality as the British and Hessians. He wrote the manuals for sanitation and camp layouts that would be used for 150 years, as well as the training manuals that would be used for decades and still influence training. Before Von Steuben, American soldiers ran from bayonets. The final American thrust at the siege of Yorktown was done with bayonets only, and it forced the British to surrender, a huge change. Casmir Polaski was considered the Father of the American Cavalry. He saved George Washington's life at the Battle of Brandywine, and convinced him of the value of cavalry. Tadeusz Kosciuszko was invaluable in designing defenses and analyzing the enemy's defenses. He's the reason there are military engineers. There's a statue dedicated to him at Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C.

It's a shame that these men who so influenced the course of history are now forgotten in favor of teaching students "wokeness".