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Primary sourceDocument5 May 1798

Will of Tadeusz Kościuszko

Tadeusz Kościuszko · 5 May 1798

Kościuszko's own 1798 will, in which he asked Thomas Jefferson to use his money to buy and free enslaved people and provide for their education.

Kościuszko's own will, revealing his personal wishes to free and support enslaved people after his death.

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Source: Wikisource

About this source

What it is

This is the personal will written by Tadeusz Kościuszko in 1798. In it, he asks Thomas Jefferson to use his money to purchase enslaved people, free them, and fund their education and support.

Why it matters

The will shows Kościuszko's own values near the end of the 18th century, directly connecting him to Jefferson, who was named to carry out his wishes. It reveals how a European soldier who fought for liberty in America and Poland also thought about freedom for enslaved people, and gives insight into how he imagined citizenship, education, and a fair life for those he wanted to free.

Look closer

  • What does Kościuszko's choice of words about duty and citizenship tell you about his own ideals?
  • Why might he have chosen Jefferson, specifically, to carry out this task?
  • What does the will not explain about how such a plan would actually have been carried out?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Tadeusz Kościuszko on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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