Topic: Lafayette & Liberty: A Founding Alliance Revisited for America 250
When: Tuesday 6/16/2026 at 2:00 pm ET
Join us this week as we discuss the Marquis de Lafayette and why he would risk everything for a distant republic. In this episode, we unpack his courageous stand alongside Washington and the revolutionary ideals that shaped a nation. As we approach America 250, we revisit the enduring values of ordered liberty, national identity, and personal sacrifice. Lafayette’s journey reminds us that freedom is never inherited without cost, and his example challenges us to reclaim the principles that forged the great republic.
Constitutional Chats are hosted by Janine Turner, Cathy Gillespie, student ambassadors, and experts who join us weekly to discuss hot-topic issues! The audience is not on camera, but you may ask questions!
Meet the Guest
Charles Schwam
Charles Schwam works as an account executive by day and moonlights as an Executive Director by nights and weekends. Known to most as Chuck, he came to the greater Washington, DC area from Philadelphia to attend American University. For more than forty years, he has been a leader in his industry, managing national and local accounts while consistently ranking at the top in sales and new business development.
Chuck brings the same passion and discipline from his professional career to his involvement with The American Friends of Lafayette (AFL). After discovering the organization in 2009, he quickly became an active member and, in 2011, joined the Board of Governors as Treasurer. Over time, his role expanded to Executive Director, where he also serves as the organization’s primary event planner.
From 2022–2025, Chuck served as Chair of the AFL’s Lafayette’s Grand Tour Bicentennial Committee, overseeing more than 40 committees composed of over 400 members across 24 states. During the 13-month reenactment of Lafayette’s historic Grand Tour, he coordinated and supported more than 350 events nationwide, attending many of them in person. These events and educational programs were designed to raise public awareness of General Lafayette’s legacy and France’s critical role in the American Revolution.
Chuck has also led major fundraising efforts, raising over half a million dollars to support the bicentennial and AFL initiatives, including the design, funding, and installation of statues honoring Lafayette and Rochambeau in Yorktown, Virginia.
An experienced event planner, Chuck has organized hundreds of commemorative events in both the United States and France, ranging from intimate gatherings to large-scale public programs with thousands of attendees. He oversees AFL’s annual meetings, heritage travel excursions to France, and numerous historical and social events throughout the year.
His speaking engagements have included the United States Capitol, the French Embassy, Federal Hall in New York City, the French Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, DC, Independence Hall, and the French Senate at the Luxembourg Palace. He has also been honored to speak at two naturalization ceremonies.
In addition, Chuck manages the AFL store and serves as publisher of the Gazette—an award-winning, 100+ page semiannual newsletter. He manages the historical interpreters at AFL events, as well as the organization’s annual book donation program for schools and public libraries.
On June 10, 2026, Chuck was awarded the Ordre National du Mérite by the government of France (National Order of Merit)