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Commentary: 400 years ago, Polish workers led the first strike for
voting rights in North America
The first assembly of the House of Burgesses meets in Jamestown in 1619.
Getty The first assembly of the House of Burgesses meets in Jamestown in
1619.
Author
By Aurelia Pucinski
UPDATED: July 18, 2019 at 8:53 p.m.
While everyone is familiar with the symbolism of America’s Independence
Day in the struggle for basic rights, few may be aware of a much earlier
fight for civil liberty. It occurred 400 years ago this month, when a
group of brave men from Poland orchestrated America’s first strike for
voting rights.
This pivotal moment in American history still resonates with Polish
Americans, and we are very proud to take the anniversary of the 1619
Jamestown strike as an opportunity to share this history.
Original records of the Jamestown colony and Captain John Smith confirm
that on July 21, 1619, the colony of Jamestown “enfranchised” the Polish tradesmen who were critical to the struggling colony’s export economy.
The Poles stopped their work because they were not given the same rights
as their British neighbors. The colony’s House of Burgesses recognized
the economic threat and did the only sensible thing: It gave the Poles
the right to vote.
Poles arrived in the earliest days of the colony. We know from original documents that two of the settlers of the colony in 1608 were identified
as “Robert, a Polonian” and “Mathew the Polander.” We cannot be sure if they survived the 1610 “starving time,” but we do know that the
settlement company continued to recruit Poles for their skill working
with wood and wood byproducts that were critical to maritime nations.
By that time, Poland was an independent sovereign nation, whose King
Zygmunt III was recognized by the British crown. England had a navy that
needed ships. And the Jamestown colony was hoping to build its future on
the production of tar, pitch, turpentine, soap ash, hemp, flax and
potash. These were valuable export commodities for the colony and its
owners, the Virginia Company of London. Pitch and tar were used to caulk
and waterproof ships, and soap ash and potash were essential to making
glass and soap.
We know that the company was glad to have the Poles’ expertise and labor
in the colony. Captain Smith himself praised the work ethic of the
Polish tradesmen. But they did not enjoy the same rights granted to
their fellow colonists, specifically the right to vote. So, they pressed
their case with what is now acknowledged as the first civil rights
strike in North America.
On July 21, 1619, the Records of the Virginia Company of London, Court
Book Vol. 1, 251-52 include the entry (in its original spelling):
“Upon some dispute of the Polonians resident in Virginia, it was now
agreed (nothwithstanding any former order to the contrary) that they
shall be enfranchised and made as free as any inhabitant there
whatsoever: And because their skill in making pitch and tar and
sope-ashes shall not dye with them, it is agreed that some young men,
shall be put unto them to learne their skill & knowledge therein for the benefit of the Country hererafter.”
Polish Americans are proud of the legacy of our earliest ancestors in
America. Their strong work ethic, well-recognized skills as artisans and craftsmen and determination to enjoy the freedoms and responsibilities
of the new land have resonated and inspired us through the centuries.
Stolat!
Aurelia Pucinski is a justice of the Illinois Appellate Court and has
been active in the Polish American community for more than 50 years.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email
letters@chicagotribune.com.
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Originally Published: July 18, 2019 at 3:57 p.m.
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