Thaddeus Kosciuszko (1746 - 1817) was a Polish nobleman, soldier and military engineer who, enthralled by the cause of liberty, came to Philadelphia in 1776 to offer his services to the American Revolution. After Yorktown, he returned to Poland, which was involved in its own struggle to maintain independence in the face of Russian expansionism. He led troops in the Polish-Russian War of 1792 and in the Polish uprising against the Russian Empire, during which he was severely injured, captured and imprisoned. Eventually he was released under the condition that he go into exile. So he returned to Philadelphia where he was warmly received and where his broken body could receive medical attention from his old friend Benjamin Rush (signer of the Declaration of Independence and Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania). The boarding house where he stayed during this recuperative period is preserved and his upstairs room is reconstructed with furniture and artifacts that pertain to him. Other rooms in this small museum feature wall panels and a few objects that tell his story, as well as a short film.
1829 engraving by Antoni Oleszczynski in the National Gallery of Scotland. Note the medal of the Society of the Cincinnati, proudly worn around his neck.
Pronunciation notes: Ta (as in "ta-da!") day' oosh Kosh (rhyme with gosh) choosh' (rhymes with whoosh)
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But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments, of their duties and obligations ... This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution.
Benjamin Rush, 1787:
There is nothing more common than to confound the terms of the American revolution with those of the late American war. The American war is over: but this is far from being the case with the American revolution. On the contrary, nothing but the first act of the great drama is closed. It remains yet to establish and perfect our new forms of government; and to prepare the principles, morals, and manners of our citizens, for these forms of government, after they are established and brought to perfection.
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Page 66 of Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, published in 1861. Edited by L. Maria Child for its author, Jacobs, who uses the pseudonym Linda Brent.
The death notice for James Norcom, published on December 4, 1850, in the North State Whig, notes that he graduated “a Physician at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia at the early age of nineteen in the year 1797, and was the student and friend of the venerable Dr. Benjamin Rush.” Notably, Norcom graduated in 1799...
...according to the Catalogue of the Alumni of the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, not 1797; however, correspondence between Norcom and Rush, as well as between Norcom and his sons, confirm their friendship.
A May 25, 1808, letter from Rush to Norcom, sees Rush sign “From my dear Sir, your Sincere and affectionate friend.” Likewise, a February 21, 1832, letter from Norcom to Benjamin R. Norcom, fondly calls Rush “my old master Dr. Rush.” As stated previously, Norcom also named one of his sons Benjamin Rush Norcom, who was called “Rush” in correspondence between him and his family, presumably after Rush. Norcom was also elected Vice President of the Volunteer company in Edenton, NC (Small arms from the Volunteer and Artillery companies), at a July 4th celebration in 1809. At this celebration, Norcom drank a toast to Benjamin Rush, whom he called “The medical luminary of our country.” He continued, “With out sound bodies we can't have sound understandings, nor enjoy the pleasures of social intercourse. 4 cheers.”
Rush was not only a prominent physician and recognized as the “father of American psychiatry” but also a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence, aligning him with the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. He made a significant impact on the United States as a medical pioneer, educational leader at Penn Medical School, and abolitionist as President of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, the first American abolition society. However, as Krancer notes in her 2018 Student Report for the Penn & Slavery Project, Rush’s abolitionism and anti-racist writings, for which he is oft praised today, were at odds with commentary in which he expressed the belief that Blackness was unnatural and warned against interracial marriage; there is also a possibility that he himself enslaved someone. Although Rush was an abolitionist, his relationship with Norcom speaks to the complexity of the complicity of the period. Likewise, Norcom’s admiration for Rush, evident in his decision to drink a toast to him in public, despite his abolitionism, hints at how enslavers and abolitionists such as Rush navigated or, more likely, overlooked their competing ideologies to form significant relationships. The University of Pennsylvania, no matter how progressive its leanings in the nineteenth century, is likewise not exempt from this contradiction.
Additionally, in an 1809 letter, Rush writes to Norcom, confirming that he has “enclosed [Norcom’s] letter to Mr. Macon of the house of Representatives of the United States and accompanied it with… a recommendation of you.” Rush writes that he “hope[s it] will be effective… in obtaining for [Norcom] a respectable medical situation in the military establishment of the United States…” and that he has asked Mr. Macon to write to Thomas Blount, a Democratic-Republican U.S. representative from the 5th Congressional District in North Carolina in 1809, for “the cooperation of his influence with the executive of [their] Government in [Norcom’s] favor.” He signs off, “Health, respect, and friendship from Dear sir yours sincerely Beny Rush.” “Mr. Macon” is Nathaniel Macon, a North Carolinian politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives at the time of this letter. Macon had a 1,945-acre plantation, served by 70 slaves (Letter 12).
Although I did not know this at the time of writing my Spring 2024 paper, Norcom may have, in fact, ended up with “a respectable medical situation in the military establishment of the United States.” According to East Carolina University, Norcom was briefly an Army Surgeon in the War of 1812. This letter showcases Rush’s professional support of Norcom and willingness to use his influence to secure Norcom a position, which may have, in turn, allowed him to advance within the medical field in other ways. Not only does this echo Rush’s complicity in slavery, illustrating a willingness to engage with and even support individuals directly implicated in the institution, it shows that Southerners who attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania gained social status and were able to make valuable connections that supported their political and career ambitions. Evidently, Norcom acquired a certain level of social status from Penn, providing him with social networks that he had not had access to prior, and while Penn may have produced figures who advocated for social change and, more specifically, abolition, it also had ties to figures such as Norcom who were directly involved with slavery.
Norcom not only corresponded with Rush but also sought guidance from other University of Pennsylvania faculty regarding the education of his sons. In a May 22, 1818, letter to John, Norcom writes that Mr. Beaseley gave him praise (Letter 43). Norcom congratulates him on receiving the good opinion of so amiable a man. Mr. Beaseley is likely Frederick Beasley, the fifth Provost of the University of Pennsylvania and professor of moral philosophy between 1813 and 1828. Beasley, described by Penn as holding "conservative" views, later wrote to Norcom on July 8, 1819, commending John’s exemplary character. He described John as "everything that the faculty of college would wish, unremittingly attentive to his studies & unalterably exemplary in his conduct."
In a June 14, 1819, letter, Norcom explains that John had been sent to Philadelphia at the request of Norcom’s friend, Dr. Caspar Wistar, to be "under his special superintendence and tuition." However, following Wistar’s death in January 1818, Norcom began searching for another physician to mentor his son. Prior to this letter, Norcom had received correspondence from John Redman Coxe, a Penn trustee from 1802 to 1809, professor of chemistry from 1809 to 1818, and professor of materia medica and pharmacy from 1818 to 1835. In his letter, Coxe discusses Benjamin Smith Barton, another Penn faculty member and a figure whom Norcom later refers to as a friend in subsequent correspondence. Coxe also reflects on the influence of Dr. Rush, noting that “few have been advanced & supported with more ability.” Barton himself held significant academic roles, serving as professor of natural history and botany from 1789 to 1813, professor of materia medica from 1796 to 1813, and professor of practice of medicine from 1813 to 1815. Coxe assures Norcom that he will obtain “further information for your friend in behalf of his son,” demonstrating a willingness to assist Norcom and those close to him.
Norcom also speaks to his children about Penn and Philadelphia more generally; in several letters, he questions how John's "constitution is bearing Philadelphia." In a January 12, 1818, letter, he complains that John hasn't told him much about teachers, exercises, and progress as compared with other students (Letter 35). In a December 4, 1831, he responds to his son Rush's "observations about the Professors of the Philadelphia Medical School," encouraging him to be more prudent (Letter 127).
Click here to read more about Norcom's medical career.
