2021 Senate Joint Resolution 21
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: honoring Wisconsinites who fought in the Polish January Insurrection of 1863.
Whereas, over 150 years ago, while the United States was fighting its Civil War, Poles who had lost their independence attempted to regain it by rising up against the Russians occupying their lands; and
Whereas, beginning in 1863 and holding out for nearly a year and a half, the participants of what historians refer to as the “January Insurrection” nobly fought to restore their country's liberty; and
Whereas, the January Insurrection fell under the overwhelming force of the Russian Army, but the Poles' noble efforts would lead to Poland regaining its sovereignty a half-century later in 1918; and
Whereas, those who fought in the January Insurrection were forced to flee the Russian Empire, and a significant number of these exiles found asylum here in the United States; and
Whereas, these refugees created a new life in service of their adopted homeland, a righteous tradition going back to when heroes such as Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Kazimierz Pulaski fought in the American War for Independence; and
Whereas, the great state of Wisconsin was one of the places where the participants of the January Insurrection settled; and
Whereas, these Polish settlers became an integral part of the social fabric of Wisconsin, contributing greatly to its economic development; and
Whereas, in 2018, members of the Polish government visited Wisconsin and a partnership between Wisconsin and Poland was formed; consisting of members of the Wisconsin Legislature, the former governor of the Lublin Voivodeship, and various businesses owners; and
Whereas, since the beginning of the partnership, members from both regions have worked together to create a medical cooperation here in Wisconsin, as well as new educational partnerships that will keep the history of Poland and Wisconsin alive; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the
senate, the assembly concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin Legislature join in honoring the memory of Wisconsinites who fought in the Polish January Insurrection of 1863.
