Founding Fathers | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/founding-fathers/RSS feed for Founding FathersenThu, 01 Oct 2026 15:13:09 +0000The Marquis de Lafayette's Brother-in-Law Participated in Three Revolutionary Wars, Supporting American Independence but Brutally Suppressing an Uprising by Enslaved Africans in Haitihttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-marquis-de-lafayettes-brother-in-law-participated-in-three-revolutionary-wars-supporting-american-independence-but-brutally-suppressing-an-uprising-by-enslaved-africans-in-haiti-180989582/Louis-Marie, Viscount de Noailles, served during the American, French and Haitian Revolutions. "He fights wherever France fights, because he's a soldier and he believes in France," a historian saysThu, 01 Oct 2026 15:13:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-marquis-de-lafayettes-brother-in-law-participated-in-three-revolutionary-wars-supporting-american-independence-but-brutally-suppressing-an-uprising-by-enslaved-africans-in-haiti-180989582/How Did the Nation Get Its Name? Other Suggestions Included the United Colonies, Columbia and the United States of Alleghaniahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-did-the-nation-get-its-name-other-suggestions-included-the-united-colonies-columbia-and-the-united-states-of-alleghania-180989435/The nascent country adopted its name 250 years ago, on September 9, 1776. Americans have debated the moniker ever since. One congressman even proposed the "United States of the Earth"Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-did-the-nation-get-its-name-other-suggestions-included-the-united-colonies-columbia-and-the-united-states-of-alleghania-180989435/