Tadeusz Kościuszko is one of those Polish historical figures whose memorials can be found practically all over the world. Statues, busts and commemorative plaques decorate public places in various cities and towns. Their total number is estimated at about 200, but not many are located as prestigiously as the one next to the White House, in Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C.

Foundation and design competition
The statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko in Washington, D.C. was the initiative of Polish organizations in the United States (especially the Polish National Union, founded in 1880), which in 1904 submitted a petition to President Theodor Roosevelt, asking for its construction. As they wrote, the monument was to be "an expression of their loyalty and attachment to their adopted homeland, for whose freedom Kościuszko fought so nobly".

The statue stands in the place originally intended for a memorial to Kazimierz Pułaski, but its founders wanted an equestrian statue, and that was not possible in this location, because the style of the statuary had to follow that of the monuments already in place. The money for the construction of the statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko ($75,000) was raised through membership fees of two cents per month. The rules of the international design competition stipulated that the statue of Kościuszko was to be placed on a granite plinth surrounded by allegorical figures cast in bronze. In this way it was to refer to the monuments of Generals Rochambeau and Lafayette already standing in the park. The competition was open to artists of Polish origin only. Twenty design proposals were submitted, 18 from Europe and 2 from the United States. Of these, according to the judges, the best design was submitted by Stanisław Lewandowski from Vienna, the second best by Antoni Popiel from Lviv, and the third best by Julian Bełtowski, also from Lviv. Eventually, however, it was Popiel's design that was accepted and executed, as it was found best fitted into the park’s environment.

Antoni Popiel's last work
Anthony Popiel arrived in the United States in September 1907 and temporarily settled in Chicago, where he started working on the monument. Unfortunately, it was the last work of the sculptor. Due to his illness he had to return to the homeland, where he died in July 1910. Therefore, he was not present at the unveiling of the statue, which took place on 11 May 1910 and was a very important event for the Polish American community of nearly 4 million people. It was treated as a state event, and President of the United States William Taft was present at the ceremony.

The monument is situated in the north-east corner of Lafayette Park. The 3-meter-high statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko wearing the uniform of an American general stands on a high granite plinth (the whole is almost 10 meters high). The hero holds a saber in one hand and in the other a plan of Saratoga field fortifications, which he designed to defend the city against the attack of British troops during the American Revolution. The monument is complemented by allegorical figures placed on the sides of the plinth, relating to the fight for freedom on both hemispheres. These are: the American eagle defending the flag, the Polish eagle fighting a snake (a symbol of Russian domination), a group representing Courage with a Kosynier (a Polish scytheman from the Kościuszko Uprising) shielding a Polish officer, and a depiction of Freedom, with an American soldier with a flag bending over a captured soldier. The inscriptions on the front and the back of the monument say that it is dedicated to the battles of Saratoga and Raclawice. Engraved on one side of the pedestal is a quotation from Thomas Campbell's poem "And Freedom shrieked as Kosciuszko fell", and on the other side an inscription informing about the founders and the date of unveiling the monument.

The statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko in Washington, D.C. is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States.

The significance of the statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko
The construction of the statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko in Washington, D.C. highlighted the sentimental and patriotic ties between the Polish American community and their homeland. A hero symbolizing the Polish nation's struggle for freedom and at the same time a war hero of the American Revolution deserved special commemoration. It is done in the form of the monument, which - transforming public space - is a very clear symbol and strengthens Tadeusz Kościuszko's presence among the important figures of American culture. It is worth noting, too, that a copy of the Washington monument, made by the Cracow sculptors Anna and Wojciech Siek, was erected in 2010 at the Iron Gate Square in Warsaw.

Statues have always aroused social emotions, caused conflicts and been destroyed in various circumstances. Nevertheless, they remain the most widely used form of commemorating people, events and ideas. It is worth noting that many of Tadeusz Kościuszko's monuments in Europe are copies of the originals which were deliberately destroyed by occupiers (e.g. the equestrian statue at Wawel Castle in Cracow or the statue in Poznań). Until now, this has not happened to any of the memorials to Kościuszko in the United States. However, on May 31, 2020, during the “Black Lives Matter” demonstrations, the statue of Kościuszko in Lafayette Park was vandalized: unknown perpetrators painted inscriptions on the pedestal of the monument. This event, however, had nothing to do with the person who the statue commemorates.