The devastation of the Tadeusz Kościuszko monument in Washington is an eloquent symbol of social tensions, injustice, but also of a historical misunderstanding. After all, the Polish national hero, and by the way a general of the Continental Army during the war for American independence, was an ardent advocate of the elimination of racial segregation. Who knows what the future would look like if the ideas from Kosciuszko's unknown will were realized.
Supreme Commander of the National Armed Forces during the Kościuszko Uprising, Lieutenant General of the Army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. As the first in history, he was awarded the Virtuti Militari gold medal, which is still considered the highest Polish war decoration, awarded for outstanding combat merits. In a word - a patriot, a hero, a real statesman who could pass as a living definition of a man of the Enlightenment era. Because he associated the qualities of the spirit with the material world.
A statesman, a man of enlightenment
Napoleon Bonaparte referred to him as "the hero of the north", the mighty Catherine the Great said that he was a real "Beast", and Jules Michelet, a French writer and historian, characterized him as "the last knight, but at the same time the first Pole with a modern understanding of brotherhood. and equality ” . And it seems that this last sentence is crucial to understand the meaning of the so-called will left by the Polish hero. It contains phrases that could change the fate of millions of black American citizens.
The fight for freedom - ours and yours
Kościuszko is clearly associated with combat. And it happened because his older brother Józef became the heir of a small family estate, hence Tadeusz, among others, decided that he would tie his future with a career in uniform. And so on December 18, 1765, as a nineteen-year-old boy, Kościuszko entered the Cadet Corps of the Knight's School, where he studied comprehensively in universal history, learning the secrets of philosophy, law, economy, as well as the principles of Latin, Polish, but also German or French.
Tadeusz Kościuszko was definitely ahead of his time
He defined the fight for freedom not only in the form of military actions, but also through the concept of responsibility, care for fellow citizens, as well as the obligation to defend the homeland. Kościuszko was appreciated for his views and actions which testified to his system of values. Suffice it to say that the French Legislative Assembly during the French Revolution decided to grant our hero honorary French citizenship as "defenders of peoples against despots." Kościuszko's game for freedom took place on different continents.
American fight and dream
Let's get the facts. Kościuszko came to America for the first time on September 24, 1776, and interestingly enough, less than a month after the Declaration of Independence was announced, where he was soon appointed an engineer of the American army - he gained special fame thanks to the fortification works until the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga, and then also as a constructor of the West Point fortress on the Hudson River, which happened at the request of the commander of the American army, George Washington, who, in the president's opinion, were the key strategic points in the campaign.
George Washington honors Kościuszko with the Order of Cincinatus
Kosciuszko's military talents, engineering sense and enlightenment skills were quickly appreciated. In 1783 he was promoted to brigadier general of the US Army. Certain financial rewards were also associated with the prestigious title and honors. Our compatriot received about 250 hectares of land as his property and received high bonuses as part of his pay - Kościuszko's total fortune was estimated at around 17,000 dollars at the time. Money could not only be a guarantor of position and power, but also a chance for freedom for enslaved US citizens.
Assets for the abolition of slavery
"Mr. Jefferson, in the event of my death, please use my money to free as many black people as could have an education and a decent life ..." - here is an excerpt from a letter dated May 5, 1798, which General Kosciuszko addressed to his friend, later US President Thomas Jefferson. One sentence that quite clearly describes the motivations, ideals and values important to the Polish-American hero.
We also need to know that in the years 1797–98, when Tadeusz Kościuszko found himself in the United States for the second time, his name had already entered the social consciousness of Americans. Not only because of the fight for the independence of the Yankees, but also because of the Kościuszko Uprising.
Kościuszko was the purest son of freedom that I have ever known (...) and freedom for everyone, not only for the few and the rich
- this is what Thomas Jefferson said about his friend, who was to ensure the implementation of the provisions of Kościuszko's will.
Tadeusz Kościuszko was sensitive to human misery
The future president of the United States, who took the honorable office on March 4, 1801, for the sum specified in his will, was to redeem him from captivity, and then to educate the black people of the USA . In addition to education, each of them would have the right to take over 100 acres of land with an appropriate income - a set of agricultural tools and cattle. You could say that these ideals are in line with the values of enlightenment. A property for the abolition of slavery? It is known that politics is not black and white.
Broken promise
Jefferson delayed the realization of Kosciuszko's ideals, explaining his old age, which was accompanied by poor health. According to researchers, the US president simply feared that such a revolutionary movement would lead to violent bloodshed, social tensions that could result in another civil war. Thomas Jefferson - as a politician and statesman, educated in archeology and architect - may, moreover, pass as a representative of extremely contradictory ideas.
Tadeusz Kościuszko wanted to spend his fortune on the liberation and education of the black people
For while the third U.S. president was probably one of Virginia's largest slaveholders, he was against the very idea of slavery. Moreover, it should be emphasized that one of his first suggestions - amendments to the state legislature was the act on the abolition of slavery, which, however, was not adopted. Another thing is that Kościuszko, who never returned to the US again, had other relatives and friends. One of them was a certain Francis Xavier Zeltner, a Swiss citizen, with whom the Polish hero lived in the autumn of his life. The chief's family was also heirs. Jefferson, although probably motivated by good intentions, did not receive the easiest promise to fulfill.
One for all, that is ... the establishment of slavery and the lifting of shackles
Freedom, equality, brotherhood. One can guess that this view was strengthened in Kościuszko already during the observation of the life of serfs in the Commonwealth. After all, it is him who is credited with the idea of forming kosynier units, a voluntary foot formation created on the basis of a common move, primarily from the peasantry. But it must also be remembered that numerous black uniformed troops also participated in the military action for the freedom of the USA.
Agrippa Hull - the black orderly of Kościuszko
Kosciuszko's beliefs and social sensitivity were particularly influenced by his black orderly - in the former army a soldier on permanent duty with an officer - Agrippa Hull, who served with him during the War of Independence. The brothers-in-arms were emotionally connected, they were friends, they shared similar values.
Kościuszko, being close to the common people, was convinced that slavery was a barbaric idea, on which, however, the economic power of the future empire of the United States of America was built.
A will symbolically implemented
In the USA, slavery was finally abolished as a result of the Civil War, namely the adoption by Congress of the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution Abolishing Slavery in 1865. It is interesting that after the Civil War, one of the most active members of radical politicians in this matter was a certain Thaddeus Stevens, who was named after the Polish hero. It can therefore be assumed that the symbolic will has been finally fulfilled. The real money was transferred to Kościuszko's relatives what was decided by the US court, which could not decide who would ultimately be responsible for the transfer of material goods.
Kosciuszko Monument in Chicago
We rightly associate the name of Kościuszko with the fight for freedom, the Polish raison d'état, and patriotism. The hero's name was taken from the city in Mississippi, from the name of a county in Indiana. Mount Kościuszko is the highest peak in Australia. It is worth remembering, however, that Tadeusz Kościuszko was not only a warrior, but also a politician whose provisions from his will turn out to be extremely valuable and valuable. Who knows what the future would look like if the ideas from Kosciuszko's unknown will were realized.