| What makes it historical? |
Thaddeus Kosciuszko (Ko-shoosh-ko) was a Polish-born, French-trained engineer who came to the American colonies in 1776 to help out with the Revolution! He was a huge fan of Thomas Jefferson after reading the Declaration of Independence, and the two became great friends during the war! Mr. Kosciuszko was responsible for fortifying the Philadelphia waterfront, the battlefields of Saratoga, and West Point!
Mr. Kosciuszko was so pumped up after the American victory that he returned to Poland in 1794 to help liberate it from its partitioning by Prussia, Austria and Russia! Though many of his fellow Poles supported this revolution, the Polish cause didn’t have enough support from other European powers, and the rebellion was ultimately squashed. Mr. Kosciuszko was imprisoned then allowed to return to America, where he set up a home here in Philadelphia.
Mr. Kosciuszko finished out his days in Switzerland, but before he deemed that his estate should be used to buy freedom, education, and land for American slaves! |
