Georgia and the Franco – American Treaty of Alliance THE GATE OCTOBER 10, 2015 The inaugural Middelthon-Candler Gala was held when the Millennium Gate Museum (The Gate) opened in 2008. Matthew Middelthon, a descendant of Coca-Cola founder Asa G. Candler, established the Middelthon-Candler Peace, Justice, and Millennium Gate Awards to continue the family’s stewardship of the state of Georgia. All proceeds from the gala are used to further the mission of The Gate. The theme of the 2015 Gala commemorates the 240th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Franco-American Treaty of Alliance, and its significance to the Colony of Georgia. The treaty, first enacted at the Second Siege of Savannah ultimately assured American independence from Great Britain. 2015 Middelthon-Candler Award Categories Peace Award Honors leadership in the promotion of fraternity between peoples and nations. Justice Award Honors leadership in effecting positive social change. Millennium Gate Award Honors excellence in the arts, sciences, or business. “The Millennium Gate Museum is a vital non-profit to our community. What it does for the State of Georgia should be exemplified around the world.” - Honorable Ambassador Andrew Young Front Cover: King Louis XVI assists General George Washington and the American people to form a new nation. Mission The Millennium Gate Museum’s (The Gate) mission is to preserve and interpret Georgia history, art, culture and philanthropic heritage as well as highlight Georgia’s historical and aesthetic relevance to the United States and to the world. The Gate is a classically styled monumental arch located in Atlanta, historically called “The Gate City.” It is designed in the tradition of classical Roman triumphal arches that have been built around the world over the past 2,500 years, and houses a 12,000 square foot museum that narrates Georgia’s history through sophisticated interactive technology, film, period rooms, and exhibitions. The museum is a 501(c)3 non- profit and the winner of the Palladio Award for design of a public space. Gamification - A new kind of museum The museum’s mission extends beyond the physical confines of a 100 foot triumphal arch. The museum virtualizes and gamifies museums and historic sites. Gamification is the process of engaging, entertaining, and teaching students through game-like mediums. The video gaming industry is one of the largest emerging fields for educators. Beginning with the exhibition The Art of Diplomacy: Winston Churchill and the Pursuit of Painting, the museum will present this new kind of digital museum to the world. Spoke and Wheel As the most comprehensive museum of Georgia history The Gate acts as the facilitator for world-class art and history exhibitions to travel to venues across Georgia. The museum recently organized an exclusive eight city tour of The Art of Diplomacy: Winston Churchill and the Pursuit of Painting to LaGrange, Sea Island, Columbus, Macon, Atlanta, Rome, Athens, and Savannah. The museum continues its mission of showcasing world-class art across Georgia by connecting the state’s art and history museums, sharing exhibitions, and enabling all the people of Georgia to enjoy exhibitions not found anywhere else in the world. Georgia and the Franco-American Treaty of Alliance On February 6, 1778, France signed both a treaty of amity and commerce, and a treaty of defensive alliance with the newly established United States. The alliance was negotiated by Benjamin Franklin, whom Franklin College was named for, the predecessor to the University of Georgia. UGA is the first state-chartered university in America. The Franklin College of Arts and Science still remains at UGA. French King Louis XVI ordered Admiral d'Estaing, a senior officer in the French navy, to take command of the Toulon (Mediterranean) Squadron and sail for North America. For the first time in French naval history, a French squadron crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the primary mission of combat. The first action of America’s new treaty with France was the Battle of Savanah. Admiral Charles Henri d'Estaing On the night of October 8, 1778 d'Estaing ordered the assault on British held Savannah. The attack was the bloodiest since Bunker Hill and was a stalemate, resulting in Georgia being the only state that returned to its royal status. Alexander Lawrence wrote in Storm Over Savannah, “The battle possessed the qualities of drama and color unmatched elsewhere in American history…” Pierre- Charles L’Enfant, future designer of Washington D.C., would almost be left for dead on the field before Savannah’s defenses. Georgia and the Franco-American Treaty of Alliance Lafayette at the Owens-Thomas House, Savannah, Georgia, 1825 Marquis de Lafayette The Marquis de Lafayette was a key figure in the American Revolution and toured Georgia extensively. The most poignant moments of his stay in Savannah came when he laid the cornerstones for monuments honoring two other Revolutionary War heroes, Count Casimir Pulaski and General Nathanael Greene. Several cities and counties in Georgia are named after French cities including Beaulieu, Berrien County, Decatur, Fannin County, Fayette County, LaGrange (“The Farm” named for the French Estate of Marquis de Lafayette), Lanier County, Macon, and Valdosta. Lafayette Square, LaGrange, Georgia Alexis de Tocqueville In 1831, six years before the founding of Atlanta, French political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville began a nine-month tour across the country, traveling extensively in Georgia in early 1832. He made insightful observations about the American spirit and the citizens’ unusual commitment to philanthropy. In his record of the voyage, Democracy in America, he writes, “Americans group together to hold fêtes, found seminaries, build inns, construct churches, distribute books, dispatch missionaries to the antipodes. They establish hospitals, prisons, schools by the same methods.” Tocqueville had never encountered a culture like the one he found in America, and his writings reflect the astonishment he showed in this great new world experiment. General George Washington and family with the Marquis de Lafayette on the piazza at Mount Vernon. King Louis XVI and family in the gardens at the Palace of Versailles. Franklin College is the founding college of the University of Georgia. The college was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. Ambassador Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson at the court of King Louis XVI. Joel Katz Susan Eisenhower GA Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears Millennium Gate Award Peace Award Justice Award Mayor Shirley Franklin Ben, Valery, and Bill Voyles Peace Award Millennium Gate Award Mayor Kasim Reed Jeff Sprecher & Kelly Loeffler Monica Pearson Justice Award Millennium Gate Award Peace Award One Table (8 tickets) Recognition & Publicity Sponsor logo displayed during gala, silent auction, and VIP reception Verbal recognition from the podium the night of the gala Recognition on the Millennium Gate Museum’s “Wall of Funders” Recognition on thenmf.org and thegateatlanta.com Advertising space in the quarterly NMF Magazine that reaches 58,670 people across Georgia Benefits to Employees Invitations to the Georgia history lecture series 5 (five total) memberships to the Millennium Gate Museum (a $5,000 value) One Table (8 tickets) Recognition & Publicity All the benefits of Bronze Benefits to Employees All the benefits of Bronze, additionally… VIP Reception invitations Right to host 1 event for up to 250 people at the Millennium Gate Museum (catering for dinner & cocktails is the responsibility of the patron) 10 (ten total) memberships to the Millennium Gate Museum (a $10,000 value) Two Tables (16 tickets) Recognition & Publicity All the benefits of Bronze and Silver, additionally… Sponsor logo prominently displayed during gala, silent auction, and VIP reception Recognition on all marketing materials Benefits to Employees All the benefits of Bronze and Silver, additionally… Right to host 2 events for up to 250 people at the Millennium Gate Museum (catering for dinner & cocktails is the responsibility of the patron) Private behind the scenes tour of the Millennium Gate Museum and Historic Mims Park with Rodney Cook 15 (fifteen total) memberships to the Millennium Gate Museum (a $15,000 value) Use of roof conservatory (patron lounge) during normal museum hours One Table (8 tickets) Recognition & Publicity Recognition on the Millennium Gate Museum’s “Wall of Funders” Recognition on thenmf.org and thegateatlanta.com One Table (8 tickets) to the gala (2 tickets) (1 ticket) Purchase Online Name: Valery Voyles Jordan Amadio Email: [email protected] Colin Brady Caleb Clark John Coleman Name: Rebecca Flick Johnson Cook Email: [email protected] Rodney Cook, Jr. Pat Daniel Name: Lisa Joublanc Bob Harris Email: [email protected] Robert Hultslander Joe Lonsdale Layton Roberts Name: Jeff Otto Pam Rollins Office: (404) 446-4307 Irene Thomas Mobile: (857) 222-7171 Mary Hardin Thornton Email: [email protected] Arol Wolford Printed Courtesy Millennium Gate Museum - 395 17th St NW Atlanta, GA 30363 - (404) 881-0900 - www.thegateatlanta.com .