Petition for the installation of the national flags of the United States, Poland, Belarus, and Lithuania at the Tadeusz Kosciuszko monument at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.

In the center city of Philadelphia, there is a monument devoted to Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kosciuszko, a brigadier general of the American Army in 1783 and the Lieutenant General of the Rzecz Pospolita Army in 1792. This historical figure was known for many great accomplishments.

Tadeusz Kosciuszko was a prominent military engineer who served in the Continental Army under George Washington, as well as in the Southern Army under General Green as a chief military engineer.

Tadeusz Kosciuszko built forts at West Point. He was one of three foreign soldiers to be accepted to the Order of Cincinnatus, and President George Washington awarded him with a pair of pistols embellished with the words “Expluribus Unum”.

Tadeusz Kosciuszko is a national hero for many countries. He was born and raised in what is currently Belarus (formerly Grand Duchy of Lithuania). He studied fortification and military engineering in Poland, designed innovative technologies that helped Americans in the War of Independence, and led the uprising against Russian control in Rzesz Pospolita (1794).

Throughout his life, Tadeusz Kosciuszko fought for the freedom of the people and believed in the upholding of liberal values, including freeing peasants from slave labor.

Tadeusz Kosciuszko is a hero in the eyes of many and continues to be revered by the Polish, Belarusian, and Lithuanian communities across the world for his unique mind and empowering leadership.

With that said, we propose to install the flags of the four countries where Tadeusz Kosciuszko lived and spread his values to surround his monument at Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia – the United States, Poland, the traditional white-red-white flag of Belarus, and Lithuania. These flags will be a symbol of unity among countries impacted by the heroism of Kosciuszko and act as a celebration of the values of freedom, innovation, and leadership in a time of great difficulty in Eastern Europe.