Polish History Column by* Stef Komar

400 Years of Poles in America

 

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America, established in May of 1607 by the Virginia Company of London to make profit. It was here, on October 1, 1608 that the first group of Polish people, six men, arrived in America on board the second supply ship "Mary and Margaret". John Smith, the first administrator of Jamestown, had spent some time in Poland while returning to England from captivity in the Ottoman empire. He recommended ".... the hiring of the Poles and Dutchmen to make pitch, tarre, glass, mills, and sope-ashes....". Glass making was a well established industry in 17th. Century Poland and Poles were known for their craftsmanship.

The first Poles were Zbigniew Stefanski, Jan Mata, Jan Bogdan, Karol Zrenica, Stanislaw Sadowski and Michal Lowicki who were joined by others in subsequent convoys. They immediately set about producing pitch, tar and soap and soon a ship sailed for England with not only wood, but "trials of Pitch, Tarre, Glass, Frankincense, Sope ashes." The pitch and tar was for shipbuilding, which enhanced England’s maritime standing. These products became the first industrial exports for profit from America.

The Poles also built a glass furnace one mile from Jamestown and worked at blowing glass. John Smith recorded that he was saved by two Polandres when he was attacked by Indians, while walking from the glass furnace back to the fort. The "Jamestown Glasshouse" which exists today is a successor of the glassworks built by Poles in 1608.

In 1619 the first representative assembly in American history was held in Jamestown and the Polish settlers were banned. In response they organized the first workers’ march and demanded the right to vote. When the demands were rejected, the Poles stopped working, in effect staging the first labor strike on American soil. The court record of the Virginia Company for July 12, 1619, states: "Upon some dispute of the Polonians in Virginia, it was now agreed...they shall be enfranchised and made as free as any inhabitant there whatsoever." Because the Poles were considered essential to the survival of the settlement, their demands were met. In exchange they agreed "not to allow their trade to die with them (...) a number of young people shall be placed among them to learn their trade and knowledge for the future benefit of the country (…).

This year is the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Poles in Jamestown. Their story shows the significant contribution of Poles to the development of American democracy and enterprise from its beginnings. It is a source of pride for Polish Americans and is being celebrated at different events, including the New York City Pulaski Parade on October 5, 2008.