Durbin Celebrates Polish Constitution Day, Casimir Pulaski

Press Release

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today celebrated Polish Constitution Day with members of Chicago's vibrant Polish community by participating in the Polish Constitution Day Parade. The parade is the biggest Polish parade outside of Poland and honors Poland's Constitution, which was adopted on May 3, 1791.

"We in Illinois are privileged to have a large and vibrant Polish American community," Durbin said. "From Casimir Pulaski to legendary artists like Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the Polish people have given a great deal to Illinois, and to this country."

Prior to the parade, Durbin discussed legislation he sponsored that would proclaim Casimir Pulaski to be an honorary citizen of the United States. The bill passed the Senate earlier this year by unanimous consent.

Pulaski, a Polish military officer who fought on the side of America during the Revolutionary War, died during a battle in Savannah, Georgia, in October of 1779. Durbin introduced similar legislation in the 109th Congress.

"Honorary citizenship is a proper tribute to a man who gave his labor and life to the cause of American independence," Durbin said.

After coming to America, Pulaski wrote to George Washington, "I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it."

"Casimir Pulaski made the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of American freedom," Durbin said. "When we think of our nation's struggle for freedom in its early years, we also must think of Casimir Pulaski and his brave contributions to our nation's birth."

Benjamin Franklin encountered Pulaski while in Paris and recommended that Washington accept Pulaski as a volunteer in the American Calvary. Washington elevated Pulaski to Brigadier General of the American Cavalry on September 15, 1777—just four days after Pulaski saved Washington's life and averted defeat at the Battle of Brandywine. In 1779, he fought the British in Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. It was as a result of his actions in Savannah that he died.

Pulaski has been honored throughout our nation's history. In September, 1929, Congress designated October 11 as Pulaski Day to be observed by Presidential Proclamation; it also authorized the Post Office to issue a Pulaski commemorative stamp. In 1973, Illinois designated the first Monday of March as Pulaski Commemorative day in Illinois and in 1986 declared the day to be a state holiday.

U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel has sponsored an identical measure in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Joint Resolution now must pass the House and be signed by the President to grant Pulaski posthumous honorary citizenship.

Only six people have ever been declared honorary citizens of the United States. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was the first in 1963 and Marquis de la Fayette, a Frenchman who supported the American Revolution, was the last in 2002. The others were Swedish diplomat and Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg in 1981, Pennsylvania co-founder and governor William Callowhill Penn and his wife Hannah—a Pennsylvania administrator—in 1984, and Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu—better known as Mother Teresa—in 1996.

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