LETTER: Races and ethnicities came together to win our freedom

To Ozaukee Press:

     July 4, 2026 will be the 250th anniversary of the first signing of the Declaration of Independence. Fighting together for freedom from English rule defined the colonists’ cause. That concept of togetherness is hard for many Americans this year. At this time it is good to have a reminder of how this country was founded by people who had differences but worked together for the common good.  

Jacob Konkapot Jr. is buried in the Stockbridge, Wis. cemetery. James Powlis rests in Oneida, Wis. Capt. Hendrick Aupaumut also is buried Wisconsin. What do they have in common? They are all Native Americans who served with the colonial troops. There are at least 44 Revolutionary War veterans who settled in Wisconsin and are buried here.

     Haym Salomon was a Polish born Jewish immigrant talented in finance and business who was key in finding funding to finance the war against England. Bernardo de Galvez, colonial governor of Spanish Louisiana, supported the colonists’ cause. Bernardo de Galvez conquered west Florida and eliminated the British naval presence in the Gulf of Mexico. He was awarded U.S. citizenship in 2014, a rare honor for a long dead contributor to the founding of America.

     African Americans contributed significantly to the colonial cause. Crispus Attucks was the first martyr of the revolution when he fell at the Boston Massacre. Salem Poor, a freeman, found battlefield glory at Bunker Hill. Another Bunker Hill hero was Peter Salem, a free man who chose to fight.   

      There are also the Europeans who emigrated to help the American fight for freedom. Polish Casimir Pulaski was the father of the American cavalry and died at the Battle of Savannah. (Pulaski High School in Milwaukee is named after him.) Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish engineer, designed and built fortifications to help defend roads and structures the colonial soldiers manned. (A statute of Kosciuszko mounted on a horse stands in his namesake park in Milwaukee.) Friedrich Von Steuben, Prussian by birth, trained troops at Valley Forge and established the military “Blue Book,” which helped to train troops into the 19th century. The Marquis de Lafayette helped train our troops and gain French support for the American cause. Forty percent of the colonial fighters were Irish immigrants.      

And let’s not forget the ladies. Phillis Wheatley fought for American freedom by writing poetry advocating her support for the independence of the colonies. Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, was a great supporter of the American cause. Kate Barry rode to announce the incoming British forces so the colonial soldiers could be prepared. Martha Washington, general’s wife and future First Lady, helped in every way she could. Lydia Darragh was a successful spy for the Americans. Nancy Morgan Hart also spied on British generals and their troops. Molly Pitcher and Mary Ludwig both fought in battle when their husbands fell. And Deborah Sampson hid her feminine identity and fought like a male soldier until she was wounded and discovered.  

     Men and women of many different backgrounds and heritages fought for colonial freedom. Let’s keep that cooperative spirit going now and in the future. After all, that is the American way.

 Karen Meador

Port Washington