Deklaracja Przyjaźni i Podziwu dla Ameryki. Największa kartka urodzinowa w dziejach ludzkości

Abstract

In this article, Dr. Tomasz Wiśniewski recalls a rarely cited recent event in the history of Polish-American relations, the Polish Declarations of Admiration and Friendship for the United States. This is a collection of 111 volumes compiled in Poland and delivered in 1926 to U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. Polish citizens, about 20 percent of Poland’s population then, put 5.5 million signatures on the decorative sheets. The declaration was meant to commemorate the 150th anniversary of U.S. independence and to be a kind of thank-you from the Polish people to the American people for helping Poland regain its independence. The Declaration is also, as Wiśniewski points out, a forgotten source for studying the history of Polish Jews, who joined in its preparation and willingly signed it.