Polish Immigrants and American Reform. Eight Leaders in the Antebellum Women's Rights and Anti-Slavery Movements

The present work essentially comprises biographical sketches (eight in total) of Polish immigrants who, in the author's view, “made meaningful, recognizable contributions to the two most important social movements during the antebellum era—women's rights and emancipation” (p. 2). The profiles are of Tadeusz Kościuszko, Thomas Lewiński, Włodzimierz B. Krzyżanowski, Jan Józef Tyssowski, Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska, Michael Heilprin, Ernestine Potowski-Rose, and Adam Gurowski. The study is based on archival materials and numerous printed sources, and it also skillfully interweaves numerous excerpts from nineteenth-century newspaper articles into the narrative. The book is capped by a documents chapter, which presents “a sample that addresses at least one aspect of the women's rights or anti-slavery movement authored or promoted by each protagonist” (p. 2). James S. Pula has been engaged in research on the history of Poles in the US for many years, especially focusing on the antebellum period, although recently he has devoted slightly more attention to issues concerning the Polish diaspora during World War I. Thus, this book can be regarded not only as a sort of return to roots but also as a successful attempt to gather in one work material concerning the achievements of our compatriots within the two largest reform movements of this period.As aptly noted by the author, the Polish immigration to the United States was not only relatively small but also widely dispersed. Furthermore, prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, there was no Polish-language newspaper in the US. For this reason, Polish immigrants often collaborated with German immigrants, which, paradoxically, in the author's view, could have resulted in a greater reach and influence of the activities of individual Poles. However, this also had its negative consequences; the involvement of some of our compatriots, such as Thomas Lewinski, Jan Tyssowki, or even Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski, in reform movements remained, as the author aptly put it, “somewhat cloudy” (p. 123). It is these individuals to whom the first chapters of the work are dedicated. Even the famous will of Tadeusz Kościuszko, which bequeathed funds received for his service in the war for independence to Thomas Jefferson to be used for the liberation and education of his slaves, often perceived nowadays as an example of active Polish involvement in the abolition of slavery in the nineteenth century, did not cause much sensation at the time. Apart from the legal issues (Kościuszko left behind four wills), Kościuszko's act was appreciated only years later not only by Poles (e.g., Cyprian Kamil Norwid) but also by African Americans (e.g., Booker T. Washington). However, it is worth noting that most biographies of Tadeusz Kościuszko list his date of birth as February 4, 1746, rather than February 12 (p. 22).Włodzimierz B. Krzyżanowski (one of three Polish generals during the Civil War) is also characterized in the pages of the book. His achievements both during the war and in later years have already been extensively described in the biography by James Pula. Here, only the aspects related to the abolition movement are raised. While it is true that Krzyzanowski was highly critical of the institution of slavery in his memoirs, it must be remembered that this work was published twenty years after the Civil War. It is also worth noting that the same Krzyżanowski saw absolutely no problem with removing Native Americans from their lands and forcibly civilizing them, for, as he claimed, for “the savage nomads . . . there is no longer any place in the history of the 19th century today” (pp. 45–46).The situation was somewhat different with the figures presented in the later part of the work (chapters 6–9). Most of them, including Adam Gurowski, Ernestine Potowski-Rose, and Maria Zakrzewska, were quite recognizable among members of the abolitionist movement or the women's rights movement. It is worth emphasizing the figure of Zakrzewska, whose autobiography, edited by Caroline H. Dall, was intended to serve as a model for other women seeking to transcend the traditional boundaries assigned to their gender. Describing the activities of Zakrzewska, Pula mentions the hospital she founded—the New England Hospital for Women and Children. The author stated that at the time “there was no other institution of its kind” (67). However, this was the third such institution in the US. The first of these—the New York Infirmary for Women and Children—was established in 1857, founded by Elizabeth Blackwell and Zakrzewska (which Pula actually mentions earlier in his work on pp. 63–64). The second was the Women's Hospital of Philadelphia—founded in 1861. Regardless of this clarification, in my opinion, this is the best and most valuable part of the book. Especially because, for various reasons, the memory of the actions of these Polish feminists and abolitionists mentioned here (especially Potowski-Rose and Zakrzewska) has faded over time. Only in recent years have these figures been rediscovered and returned to their rightful place in history. All the more credit to the author for such extensive descriptions of their activities.To the best of my knowledge, this is currently the only book that gathers in one volume the achievements of Polish immigrants within the two largest reform movements of the first half of the nineteenth century. For this reason, it is a book that can be confidently recommended to more advanced readers who wish to delve into and broaden their knowledge about Polish immigration to the US.