Alan Hoffman
ALAN R. HOFFMAN obtained a BA in history from Yale before earning a JD at Harvard Law School.
An avid reader of early American history, he “discovered” Lafayette in 2002 and spent two years—2003 to 2005—translating Auguste Levasseur’s Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825, the first-hand account of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour of America written by his secretary. Mr. Hoffman has lectured widely on Lafayette—over 260 talks—and has spoken in each of the 24 states (and Washington, D.C.) which Lafayette visited during
the Farewell Tour. Mr. Hoffman co-produced and was the principal author of virtual travelogues covering Lafayette’s Farewell Tour visits to four states: New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire (with
TravelStorysGPS). Most recently, he edited and contributed to Lafayette and the Enduring Struggle for Human Rights and Democratic Governments (American Friends of Lafayette, Gaithersburg, Maryland: 2025). Mr. Hoffman currently serves as President of the American Friends of Lafayette and President of the Massachusetts
Lafayette Society. He is also the editor of The Gazette of The American Friends of Lafayette. During the AFL’s Farewell Tour Bicentennial, he served on the Steering Committee that organized commemorative events in 24 states.
Alan R. Hoffman
Londonderry, NH 03053
arhesq@aol.com
Cell: 603-490-3950
Available Program Formats: In person or online presentations
Alan Hoffman's Programs
Lafayette: Hero of the American Revolution and Abolitionist
In his talk, Alan Hoffman will describe General Lafayette’s important role in the American Revolution. This included not only his service in the Continental Army but also his role as an intermediary between the newly formed United States and its ally, his homeland, France. Hoffman will then explore Lafayette’s evolution from, at best, a blank slate on the slavery question when he joined the American Revolution, to becoming a leading advocate for the abolition of slavery whose words and deeds inspired American abolitionists in the decades after his death in 1834.
Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Granite State Salutes the Nation’s Guest
On his fourth and final trip to the United States in 1824-1825, Americans in all 24 states welcomed Lafayette with unbridled admiration, gratitude, and love. In this talk, Hoffman will set the scene for the Farewell Tour and explore the causes of Lafayette’s rock star reception.
Then, he will turn to Lafayette’s visits to New Hampshire cities and towns and describe how the Granite Staters added their voices to this national outpouring of affection. Visits to Portsmouth on September 1, 1824, and Concord on June 22, 1825, will be featured, as they were highlights of the General’s New Hampshire experience. Hoffman will also describe Lafayette’s stops in the other New Hampshire towns that Lafayette visited on the Tour.
