Kosciuszko: A Man Ahead of His Time

Based on the Book: The Peasant Prince: Thaddeus Kosciusko and the Age of Revolution.

There are more statues of Thaddeus Kosciuszko in America than any historical figure except for George Washington. Every day, millions of New York TV and radio listeners hear about traffic jams on the Kosciuszko Bridge. Yet few know about this Revolutionary War hero and champion of human rights.

The Polish hero Kosciuszko gave his salary from the American Revolution to Thomas Jefferson and told him to buy slaves - and free them. Kosciuszko fought for the rights of serfs, slaves, Jews, Native-Americans and women.

A military strategist, Kosciuszko's plan won the Battle of Saratoga - the turning point of the war. He also built Fortress West Point, which Benedict Arnold tried to sell to the British in the most infamous act of treason in American history. When Kosciuszko spoke up for Native Americans, Chief Little Turtle gave him a peace pipe/tomahawk.

His ally Berek Joselewicz, formed the first wholly Jewish military unit since biblical times and called Kosciuszko "a messenger from God." Muslims, and even a black man named Jean Lapierre traveled to Poland to join Kosciuszko's multicultural revolution.

In his quest for liberty, Kosciuszko worked with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the French Revolutionaries while struggling against the tyranny of Russia's Catherine the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon called Kosciuszko "the hero of the North," and Russian Czarina Catherine offered a reward for anyone who could capture him "dead or alive."

Jefferson called, Kosciuszko "as pure a son of liberty, as I have ever known."

With a moving narration by Blair Underwood, the story is told through reenactments at West Point, Saratoga, Philadelphia, and Poland, along with dramatic readings by screen actors such as Olek Krupa.

It includes interviews with experts such as Former U.S. National Security Advisor Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, UCLA Prof. Gary Nash, Purdue Prof. James Pula, and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Alex Storozynski.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko was a prince of tolerance whose principles still resonate today.

Stay Tuned, more PBS stations to be announced soon.

To learn more about Polish culture:

Please visit The Kosciuszko Foundation