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Kosciuszko's allies
Kosciuszko's allies included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and other famed historical figures, but also free Black men such as Agrippa Hull, and Jean Lapierre who joined him in Warsaw at the barricades during the uprising to free the white serfs of Poland.
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Jewish Cavalry Leader Colonel Berek Joselewicz
Joselewicz called Kosciuszko "a messenger from God" and asked the "children of Israel" to fight for him "like lions and leopards!" Joselewicz
started a Jewish cavalry, the first wholly Jewish military brigade since biblical times. This bearded army joined the Poles against the Russians in the Kosciuszko Uprising.
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While researching the Kosciuszko Foundation's archives I came across Prof. Steven Mizwa's initiative on making a movie on Kosciuszko for Americans, which in 1937 seamed very modern and highly desired, especially considering the anti Polish mood in Hollywood, or lack of Polish themes in general. It took until now, for this 2015 production, which combines a
historical view with successful attempts of capturing Kosciuszko's personal portrait.
Tomasz Pudłocki
PhD Historian,
Jagiellonian University
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With a moving narration by Blair Underwood and reenactments filmed at West Point, Saratoga, Philadelphia and in Poland, the film tells the story of Kosciuszko's fight for liberty for all. Hollywood actor Olek Krupa brings the Polish revolutionary to life with dramatic readings. There are also interviews with former U.S. National Security Advisor Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Alex Storozynski, UCLA Prof. Gary Nash, and Purdue Prof. James Pula.
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Kosciuszko
gave his salary from the American Revolution to Thomas Jefferson with instructions to buy slaves and free them. Jefferson called Kosciuszko "as pure a son of liberty, as I have ever known." This Polish hero fought for the rights of serfs, slaves, Jews, Native-Americans and women.
Kosciuszko's plan won the Battle of Saratoga - the turning point of the war. He built Fortress West Point, which Benedict Arnold tried to sell to the British in an infamous act of treason.
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TheKF.org
The Kosciuszko Foundation promotes educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Poland to increase American understanding of Polish culture and history.
Founded in 1925, on the eve of the 150th anniversary of Kosciuszko's enlistment in the American cause, the Foundation is a national not-for-profit
membership organization supported by contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals who share the Foundation's mission of fostering the relations and understanding between the United States and Poland.
The Kosciuszko Foundation
15 East 65th Street
New York, NY 10065
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