There Is Now an Adam Yauch Park: And the Stories Behind the Names of 10 Other Brooklyn Places.
Kościusko Street
Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746-1817) was, like Kazimierz Pulaski, a Polish freedom fighter who came to America to participate in the American Revolution. Unlike Pulaski, Kościuszko survived the war and, because of that, left an incredibly fascinating legacy that proves he was a man who did not discriminate which men do or do not deserve freedom. Following the revolution, Kościuszko returned to Poland in order to continue fighting an ultimately unsuccessful war against Russia. After the Polish defeat, Kościuszko returned to America where he revisited his old friend Thomas Jefferson, whose portrait Kościuszko, a gifted artist, had once painted. Kościuszko wrote a will while he was in America, and in this will, he left all of the pay from his time as a soldier in the Continental Army to a trust that was meant to grant the freedom and education of slaves—including Jefferson’s slaves. But you guys? He had entrusted Jefferson to carry this proviso out. And, well, Jefferson didn’t do that. Oh, there are all sorts of reasons why he didn’t do that—it was against Virginia’s laws etc. But, also, let’s not forget that Jefferson didn’t even free his own slaves upon his death. So, this isn’t too surprising. But it is nice to know that Kościuszko was an alright sort of a guy, who wanted freedom for all people, no matter the color of their skin.