Res. No. 422

Resolution declaring October 15 as Tadeusz Kosciuszko Day in the city of New York.

By Council Members Holden, Van Bramer, Gjonaj, Ulrich, Vallone, Yeger, Rivera, Kallos, Lander and Constantinides

Whereas, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, was born on February 4, 1746 in the village of Mereczowszczyzna, part of the formerly known Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania; and 

Whereas, At an early age, Tadeusz Kosciuszko decided upon a career in the military, enrolling in the newly formed Szkola Rycersk (Academy of Chivalry), a school created by King Stanislaw II to train a well-educated cadre of officers and state officials; and

Whereas, The Institute of World Politics states that Tadeusz Kosciuszko graduated from Szkola Rycersk in 1765 with the rank of Captain, and went on to study military engineering; and

Whereas, In 1774, according to a biography by New York City’s Department of Transportation (DOT), Tadeusz Kosciuszko returned to a drastically changed Poland, of which major parts had been annexed and its army had been forced to reduce to 10,000 soldiers; and

Whereas, The Adam Mickiewicz Institute indicates that Tadeusz Kosciuszko emigrated to America in June 1776, after being recruited by Benjamin Franklin to fight for American Independence from England; and  

Whereas, According to The Institute of World Politics, Tadeusz Kosciuszko became the Chief Engineer of the entire Continental Army by the end of 1776;

Whereas, Tadeusz Kosciuszko played an integral role in the American war effort, showcasing his talent in constructing defensive fortifications, most notably seen in his fortifying of Philadelphia, Saratoga, Fort Ticonderoga, and West Point; and

Whereas, The Encyclopedia Britannica indicates that at the end of the American Revolution, the United State Congress promoted Tadeusz Kosciuszko to Brigadier General in the United State Army, and awarded him with United States citizenship; and

Whereas, DOT asserts that in March 1794, Tadeusz Kosciuszko returned to Poland to lead a failed revolt against the combined troops of Russia, Prussia and Austria, leading to the division of Poland, and Kosciuszko’s imprisonment and future exile from Poland; and

Whereas, In Tadeusz Kosciuszko’s last twenty years of life, he set up a will that would dedicate his American estate’s worth to freeing and educating African-American slaves and remained active in political discourse regarding Polish Independence; and

Whereas, Tadeusz Kosciuszko died on October 15, 1817, being placed in a crypt in Wawel Cathedral, a pantheon of Polish kings and national heroes; and

Whereas, Tadeusz Kosciuszko was a Polish-American hero who was an integral part of Polish and American history, being vital in the establishment of American Independence from England, while arduously working for independence for his native country Poland; and

Whereas, Tadeusz Kosciuszko is commemorated by having monuments, stamps, streets, and parks named after him, with the most notable being the Kosciuszko Mound at Krakow, the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Philadelphia, and the Kosciuszko Bride in New York City; and

Whereas, Declaring October 15 as Tadeusz Kosciuszko Day in the city of New York will strengthen Polish-American pride, and commemorate a Polish-American hero; now, therefore, be it,

 Resolved, That the City of New York declares October 15 as Tadeusz Kosciuszko Day.

LS#6219

3/30/18

KK