Thaddeus Kosciuszko, portrait by Karl Gottlieb Schweikart - www.wilanow-palac.art.pl
Friends of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson, Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Agrippa Hull
SPEAKER: Gary B. Nash, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor and Director Emeritus, National Center for History in the Schools, and Professor Emeritus of History, UCLA
DESCRIPTION: In “Friends of Liberty,” Dr. Nash explores the little-known story of General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Polish-born military engineer and freedom fighter in the American Revolution, and his role as a pioneer of abolition.* Kosciuszko was an ardent advocate for the rights of European serfs, African slaves, Jews, women and other disenfranchised groups on two continents. Kosciuszko’s relationship with Agrippa Hull, a freeborn black New Englander who served as his orderly during the Revolutionary War, provides poignant testimony to the bonds that form between freedom-loving people. As a pioneer of abolition, Kosciuszko gave Jefferson instructions that upon his death, Kosciuszko’s U.S. funds be used to liberate and educate as many of Jefferson’s slaves as the money allowed. The lecture tells of the tragic betrayal of Kosciuszko’s trust.
WHEN: Saturday, September 23, 2017 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Museum of the American Revolution, 101 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia
FREE TICKETS: The lecture is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Advance reservations are required and can be made at HTTPS://KOSCIUSZKOMAR.EVENTBRITE.COM
Tickets at $80/person may also be obtained for a Reception following the lecture.
SPONSOR: Kosciuszko Foundation, Philadelphia Chapter in cooperation with the Museum of the American Revolution and the U.S. National Park Service
*This lecture marks Kosciuszko’s legacy of freedom and the 200th anniversary of his passing. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the Parliament of Poland have declared 2017 as the Year of Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
For additional information: https://www.thekf.org/kf/chapters/philadelphia/events/
Contact: thekfphiladelphia@gmail.com
About General Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817)
Gen. Tadeusz Kosciuszko came to America during the Revolutionary War to aid in the struggle for American Independence. He offered his much needed expertise as military engineer to Gen. Washington and designed many formidable defenses, including the "American Gibraltar" at West Point, NY, and forts on the Delaware River. His work in planning the redoubts at Saratoga, NY, was praised by General Horatio Gates as crucial to the American victory. When he returned to his native Poland he carried the message of freedom and independence. The Insurrection he led to free his homeland from foreign oppression failed, but nevertheless, in time, he became one of Poland's most beloved historical figures. Kosciuszko was a precursor of the development of national awareness in its modern sense, embodiment of the principle of tolerance, called by Thomas Jefferson "the purest son of liberty, I have ever known." On returning to Philadelphia he gained the friendship of Thomas Jefferson and the respect of the American people. His last will and testament contained instructions that funds from his financial holdings in the United States be used to liberate and educate slaves here. This was an unprecedented request. This year, 2017, we commemorate the bicentennial of his death.
A more complete biography of General Kościuszko may be downloaded from: www.polishcultureacpc.org/news/TK.docx
From UNESCO Press Release
The year 2017 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Tadeusz Kościuszko, political leader, with the support of the governments of Poland, Lithuania, Switzerland and the Kosciuszko Foundation: An American Center of Polish Culture in New York City.
Tadeusz Kościuszko lived at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. In recognition of his activity for the sake of peace, independence and democracy – the equality of people regardless of their skin colour or religion – he is considered a national hero in Poland and in the United States. He emphasized the role of both practical and citizen education, so that men and women who regained freedom should be aware of their rights, but also their duties with respect to the freedom and welfare of others.
About The Kosciuszko Foundation
The Kosciuszko Foundation, a national non-profit organization, was established in 1925 by Professor Stephen Mizwa to foster intellectual and artistic exchange between the United States. Even during the dark times when Poland was under Communist control, the Foundation did not cease to provide opportunities for a people-to-people exchange at universities in both countries. Many of those who rose to leadership in the now free Poland were Foundation grant recipients. In addition to its scholarship and grant programs, the Foundation has sponsored summer sessions for American students at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków since the 1970s, and now has an English language teaching program that benefits Polish youth. In the United States, the Foundation organizes various events to promote an understanding of Polish culture and history among Americans.
The Foundation's work reaches audiences throughout the United States, through its headquarters in New York City and regional chapters including the Philadelphia Chapter which was founded in 1993.
The Great American Eclipse on August 21, 2017
While it is not limited to Polish Americans, the eclipse will be seen from just about everywhere, and thus, it is worthy of our attention. Here are the maps of the pathway from NASA.
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-who-what-where-when-and-how
