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The Polish Patriot Who Helped Americans Beat the British
Smithsonian ^ | March 8, 2017 | Erick Trickey

Posted on 05/28/2018 9:44:42 AM PDT by Texas Fossil

Two months after Ben Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence, a surprise visitor walked into his Philadelphia shop. The young man’s curly brown hair cascaded down toward his shoulders, and his English was so broken he switched to French. Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a 30-year-old Pole just off the boat from Europe via the Caribbean, introduced himself and offered to enlist as an officer in the new American nation’s army.

Franklin, curious, quizzed Kosciuszko about his education: a military academy in Warsaw, studies in Paris in civil engineering, including fort building. Franklin asked him for letters of recommendation. Kosciuszko had none.

Instead, the petitioner asked to take a placement exam in engineering and military architecture. Franklin’s bemused answer revealed the inexperience of the Continental Army. “Who would proctor such an exam,” Franklin asked, “when there is no one here who is even familiar with those subjects?”

On August 30, 1776, armed with Franklin’s recommendation and high marks on a geometry exam, Kosciuszko walked into Independence Hall and introduced himself to the Continental Congress.

In his native Poland, Kosciuszko is known for leading the Kosciuszko Uprising of 1794, a brave insurrection against foreign rule by Russia and Prussia. But that came before the liberty-loving Pole played a key but overlooked role in the American Revolution. Though not nearly as well known as the Marquis de Lafayette, America’s most celebrated foreign ally of the era, Kosciuszko was in many ways his equal. Both volunteered with an idealistic belief in democracy, both had a major impact on a climactic battle in the Revolution, both returned home to play prominent roles in their own country’s history, both enjoyed the friendship/high esteem of American Founding Fathers. Kosciuszko did something more: he held his American friends to the highest ideals of equality on the issue of slavery.

(Excerpt) Read more at smithsonianmag.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: benfranklin; british; defeat; engineer; history; kosciuszko; philadelphia; poland; russia; thaddeuskosciuszko; therevolution
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To: Texas Fossil

Bttt.

5.56mm


21 posted on 05/28/2018 10:21:10 AM PDT by M Kehoe
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To: Repeal The 17th

Also see: Casimir Pulaski.


Buried in Savannah where he fell in battle leading his troops.


22 posted on 05/28/2018 10:22:23 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: irishjuggler
Google Polish women:Polish Women
23 posted on 05/28/2018 10:22:36 AM PDT by BigEdLB (BigEdLB, Russian BOT, At your service)
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To: spokeshave2

My how things interconnect.

And some of those connections are amazing as they happen. It appears to be coincidence to some, but others find it part of a pattern.

I’ve seen too much of that, it is a pattern for me.


24 posted on 05/28/2018 10:22:54 AM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: Texas Fossil

Kosciusko, Mississippi - hometown of Oprah Winfrey. Population 7400.

On the other hand, Pulaski, Ga (not in Pulaski county) has a population of under 300. Pulaski county has about 12,000.


25 posted on 05/28/2018 10:26:10 AM PDT by PAR35
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To: marktwain

I am so done for if I were a soldier stationed in Poland in my 20s and single.
26 posted on 05/28/2018 10:26:37 AM PDT by BigEdLB (BigEdLB, Russian BOT, At your service)
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To: Texas Fossil
Anyone who wants a good measure of the role the Polish have played in the history and preservation of Christianity in Western culture needs to watch "The Siege - September 11th, 1683". The Ottomon empire might have taken all of Europe without their courageous salvation of Vienna.

Even to this day there is a room in the Vatican museum devoted to their Warrior King Jan Sobieski, who charged with 3,000 of his Winged Hussars into a muslim camp that may have been as large as 300,000 muz-ka-bobs...

27 posted on 05/28/2018 10:38:33 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists...Socialists...Fascists & AntiFa...Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: BigEdLB

Polish sausage indeed.


28 posted on 05/28/2018 10:41:36 AM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: BigEdLB

The amazing part? The beautiful smiles.


29 posted on 05/28/2018 10:44:24 AM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: Caipirabob

Big Bump!


30 posted on 05/28/2018 10:45:24 AM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: Stosh

Ping to a wonderful article about Thaddeus Kosciuszko, lover of freedom.


31 posted on 05/28/2018 10:49:16 AM PDT by Albion Wilde (We're even doing the right thing for them. They just don't know it yet. --Donald Trump, CPAC '18)
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To: Texas Fossil
We watched it again yesterday. It has several of the best speeches I've seen in any movie. Arguments that still endure today and lend themselves to "Why we fight."
32 posted on 05/28/2018 11:01:17 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists...Socialists...Fascists & AntiFa...Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: Texas Fossil

In his native Poland, Kosciuszko is known for leading the Kosciuszko Uprising of 1794, a brave insurrection against foreign rule by Russia and Prussia. But that came before the liberty-loving Pole played a key but overlooked role in the American Revolution.

The author has it backwards in the second sentence. The uprising was after the revolutionary war.

He has two bridges in New York named after him. One is well known to any tri state traffic report listener as it connects Brookyln and Queens. The other I was not aware of till I just looked up the first to confirm some details.


33 posted on 05/28/2018 11:12:04 AM PDT by Steven Scharf
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To: Texas Fossil

My wife from Russia said about Obama, “I didn’t leave Russia to come to Russia”. Trump makes her smile. She says he is, “real”


34 posted on 05/28/2018 11:16:25 AM PDT by BigEdLB (BigEdLB, Russian BOT, At your service)
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To: PAR35

Thanks for info


35 posted on 05/28/2018 11:31:41 AM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: BigEdLB

Trump!

Bump


36 posted on 05/28/2018 11:32:26 AM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: Steven Scharf
The American Revolution was from 1775-83

The British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781.

Great Britain formally recognized the independence of the United States in the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783.

That said, they were conscripting American Citizens on the high seas into the British Navy long after that.

37 posted on 05/28/2018 11:41:03 AM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: Caipirabob

I think I’ve seen it. The title comes to mind, but I don’t remember when I saw it.


38 posted on 05/28/2018 11:44:03 AM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: BigEdLB

She is right about Obozo, he is far to the Left of Vlad.

He is in the Fidel catagory. But more like his cousin. Raila Odinga, in Kenya. And both of them lie every time their mouth moves. And are as treacherous as snakes.


39 posted on 05/28/2018 11:48:30 AM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: Texas Fossil

About Hillary she said,”How could someone vote for someone like that?”


40 posted on 05/28/2018 11:50:58 AM PDT by BigEdLB (BigEdLB, Russian BOT, At your service)
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