Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Bringing a historical character to life
Students hear from Lafayette re-enactor
UWCHLAN » Downingtown students heard from Marquis de Lafayette through a re-enactor from Colonial Williamsburg, who encouraged the students to learn and remember their history.
Mark Schneider, an interpreter who has worked with Colonial Williamsburg for 21 years, enjoys learning his character and informing the public about the stories of Lafayette. He talked to students on Friday at Lionville Middle School and Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center, of the Downingtown Area School District, about how Lafayette left France for Philadelphia in 1776 to fight in the American Revolutionary War at 19 and he helped clinch victory at Yorktown.
“Certainly in the Philadelphia area, Lafayette is no stranger. You have a Lafayette Hill, which used to be Barron Hill, named after a battle that Lafayette fought there,” Schneider said. “So you might know the name, but just maybe not the details, so this affords us the opportunity to tell the story of this person and the different locations they were at.”
He researches and reads everything he can on related military topics and history involving Lafayette as well as others who interacted with Lafayette and had a vital role in America’s history. It helps him when he’s interpreting his character.
“The research is never ending,” Schneider said. “But it’s not just the: who, what, when, where, why – when you’re born, who do you marry, what battle do you fight in, but it’s the world in which they lived. How fast did the carriage travel, what was average mode of travel and distance of travel, who were the kings and queens, what did Europe look like, who were the great composers and artists?”
He explained the research by interpreters and others at Colonial Williamsburg, along with a tailored wardrobe based on the time period, research and paintings, makes character more believable to public.
Theresa and Ken Wood, of Chester Springs, have supported the foundation for more than 10 years and they promote the educational outreach program by hosting the interpreters in schools, typically in the Downingtown area. The Woods and Schneider said they hopes it inspires the children to become more interested in history and to improve the future of the country.
“Doing an outreach program outside of the Philadelphia area, it’s really fantastic because Lafayette was here,” said Schneider, adding that Lafayette had his closest connections to Pennsylvania and Virginia. “It really is a wonderful opportunity to tell the story right from the spot where he was.”
Before joining Colonial Williamsburg, Schneider had an interest in military history with a focus on 18th and 19th Century French military history. He also served in the U.S. Army for four years and said he “lived the soldier’s life” which gave him a better understanding of what it was like. Lafayette participated in his first military engagement at the Battle of Brandywine in September of 1777.
Schneider said history is being taught less and less in schools and students are not learning as much about American and European history. He ended his presentation as Lafayette telling the students that it is important for them to know their history because he believes that “all the answers to the future can be found in the past, if you know your history, thus you’ll be better citizens for the future.”
He reminds the students of a quote by writer and philosopher George Santayana, who said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
“We see this occurring every single day,” Schneider said, “just watch the news or read the newspaper.”
He said by knowing history, it’s a call to action for the future.
“History is not just dates. It’s not just people in different clothing or just battles, but it’s about the country that you’re in now,” Schneider said. “It’s your obligation as a citizen to know your history, so you know where you’ve been so you can know where you’re going in the future. And you won’t make the same mistakes that have been made in the past.”