Lafayette's first foray into human rights work was during the American Revolution which he saw as a cause important to all people. He continued to promote universal natural rights throughout his life. During the French Revolution he drafted "the Rights of Man and the Citizen" and later supported other revolutions in Europe and South America as well as causes designed to deliver human rights to the oppressed. In particular, the abolition of slavery engaged Lafayette continuously, from the American Revolution and his return tour of the United States until his death in 1834. Lafayette used his prestige and influence to advocate for causes designed to expand and enhance human rights for the oppressed.

Alan Hoffman has lectured widely on Lafayette – over 200 talks – and has spoken in each of the 24 states (and Washington, DC) which Lafayette visited during the Farewell Tour, as well as La Grange, Texas and Lafayette and Denver, Colorado. Hoffman is an officer of two Lafayette societies: 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. Sponsored by the Frying Pan Lane Fund.