The staff guided the Ambassador to the premises of the Museum and presented to him the exhibits, the history of the philhellenic movement, and the important role played by the many Polish philhellenes who fought bravely on the side of the Greeks as volunteers, as well as journalists, artists and intellectuals who supported the philhellenic movement of their time.

The Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism (SHP) referred to the Philhellene, national poet of Poland, Adam Mickiewicz, to the officer Franciszek Mierzejewski and to the unit of Polish volunteers, who fought bravely in Peta, and sacrificed their lives to support the Greek struggle.

In parallel, SHP presented a commemorative medal depicting the Polish hero of the Greek Revolution Franciszek Mierzejewski.

Moreover, SHP presented to the Ambassador the model of the Philhellenes monument that will be placed in the centre of Athens.

Ambassador Artur LOMPART delivered to the Museum, on behalf of the Senate, the upper house of the Polish parliament, a flag as a symbol of friendship between the Polish and Greek peoples, and stated the following: “The Greek Revolution and the heroism of its fighters, inspired many enslaved nations, including Poles who lived under foreign rule at that time. We are connected by similar historical experiences and a belief in the ideals of freedom, for which we often had to pay the highest price. This closeness of our peoples is visible also today”.

SHP assured the Ambassador that it will continue together with the Museum of Philhellenism, to promote with their work, the common cultural values ​​of Greece and Poland, and the continuous philhellenism as a virtue, to serve the constant progress of our societies.

Ms. Maria-Zoe Lafi, Executive Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C., Harvard University, along with Mr. Christos Giannopoulos, Managing Director, and Mr. Evangelos Katsarelis, Programs & Events Manager, of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece visited the Philhellenism Museum.

They were given a tour of the Museum, were informed about the archives of the Society’s for Hellenism and Philhellenism, and discussed prospects for future cooperation and joint actions in Greece and the USA.

Video presentation of the Philhellenism Museum.

Presentation by Eulambia Revi, director Maria Rizou, editorship Sotiris Skouloudis, camera Nikos Patelaros, sound George Argyris, drone Lazaros Tambouzos. The production is signed by Domenica Production and Iris Studios.

The Ambassador of Montenegro Ms. Ana Vukadinovic and executives of the embassy, visited the Philhellenism Museum, and were guided to its 4 floors. The staff of the Museum presented the collections, the history of the philhellenic movement and the philhellenic art, as well as the history of many emblematic philhellenes who supported the Greek Revolution.

Many of them were from Montenegro, like the fighter of the Greek Revolution Vaso Brajović Mavrovouniotis.

The Ambassador offered to the Museum a painting by Vojo Vlahović, depicting Boka Kotorska bay.

SHP warmly thanked the Ambassador for this gift.

Ms. Ana Vukadinovic stated the following:

“On behalf of the Parliament of Montenegro, it is my great honour to give Montenegrin flag and a painting as a token of our excellent relations and sharing of common values. Montenegrins stood by Greeks and will always support all efforts for liberty, democracy, human rights and rule of law.”.

The two parties agreed to take joint actions to promote relations between the two peoples.

The African – American Philhellene James Jakob Williams, (SHP / Philhellenism Museum collection)

This article is presented in the context of the Special Exhibition on American Philhellenism organized by the Philhellenism Museum for 2021, in collaboration with the US Embassy in Athens @USEmbassyAthens

The Greek fever experienced by the United States in the 1820s and the contribution of American philhellenism to the Greek Revolution have already been highlighted. What is less known is that the struggle of the Greeks was also supported by the African-American community and that an African-American fought bravely on the side of the Greeks.

It is also not known that the Greek Revolution formed the basis, and the Greek slaves became the symbols, of the struggle for the abolition of slavery in the USA.

James Jakob Williams was an African-American Philhellene from Baltimore, Maryland, in United States. He served as a Marine in the U.S. Navy. In this capacity he participated in the war between the United States and Algeria that took place in 1815. He fought bravely and distinguished himself in the battles. He served in Algeria under the command of U.S. Admiral Stephen Decatur, who had recognized his value and bravery. At the end of the operations in Algeria, and after completing his military service in the U.S. Navy, Admiral Decatur suggested that he go to Greece, where slavery had been abolished.

Williams arrived in Greece in January 1827 and was appointed assistant to the British Philhellene Admiral Thomas Cochrane. Williams followed Cochrane everywhere, in all his military campaigns, until the latter left Greece in December 1827. Williams remained in Greece and took part in various battles and naval battles. In many cases, he secretly infiltrated the enemy ranks to collect and convey to the Greeks valuable information, risking his life.

During military operations to liberate Nafpaktos, Williams was seriously injured by a cannon fracture in his arm and leg and was taken to the hospital in Poros. At a critical moment of the conflict, he led a group of Greek fighters and took control of the Greek ship Sotir (Savior), which was unmanned. In fact, he took over the bunny himself, attracting enemy fire. This saved the boat from being captured.

This brave African-American Philhellene offered his life in the struggle of the Greeks. He died in 1829 in Greece.

SHP pays tribute to James Jakob Williams who lived the last years of his life as free man in a free Greece.

But let’s see what the climate was like in America, more particularly in the African American community at the time.

The impact that the Greek Revolution had, arises from the articles published by the first newspaper of emancipated Black Americans in the United States, the Freedom’s Journal, published since March 1827 in New York. That newspaper, interested mainly in the anti-slavery movement, saw in the Greek Revolution a struggle of slaves against oppressive masters. It attached in the news from Greece an importance, comparable to the news from Haiti, Africa and the West Indies. On December 21, 1827, the Freedom’s Journal published with great satisfaction the news on the Naval Battle of Navarino.

Interestingly, this newspaper also expressed sympathy for the Ottoman janissaries, whom it considered (not falsely) slaves that were slaughtered by the “tyrant” sultan Mahmut II a year earlier, and the women of the harems

It is worth noting that the Freedom’s Journal, also published philhellenic poems, like the “Greek Song”, the “To Greece” and the “Song of the Janissary”. These poems make allusions to the motto, “liberty or death” and the universal symbols of oppression, the chains. We present below a few verses:

TO GREECE (F.J. 12/10/1827)

Hail! Land of Leonidas still,
Though Moslems encircle thy shore; […]
Yet quail not, descendants of those,
The heroes of Marathon’s plain;
Better lay where you fathers repose,
Than wear the fierce Ottoman’s chain. […]

GREEK SONG (F.J. 7/9/1827)

Mount, soldier, mount, the gallant steed,
Seek, seek, the ranks of war.
‘Tis better there in death to bleed,
Than drag a tyrant’s car.
Strike! Strike! Nor think the blow unseen
That frees the limbs where chains have been.

THE SONG OF THE JANISSARY (F.J., 4/5/1827)

For a time – for a time may the tyrant prevail,
But himself and his Pachas before us shall quail;
The fate that torn Selim in blood from the throne,
We have sworn haughty Mahmoud! Shall yet be thy own.

News excerpts from the philhellenic action of various “Greek Committees” in the USA. Top: A 12-year-old boy donates his watch to the Pittsburgh Philhellenic committee, requesting that the proceeds may be sent to the starving Greeks (Freedom’s Journal).

The sad fate of hundreds of thousands of Greek slaves, sold daily in the slave markets of the Mediterranean sea, shocked the American society in the first half of the 19^th century. The American Philhellene volunteers who experienced this horror (Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, Jonathan Pecham Miller, etc.) became leading figures of the abolitionist movement against the slavery of African Americans in the United States. This struggle used a central symbol. The Greek slave.

The Greek slave was the famous sculpture created by the great American sculptor Hiram Powers in 1844. It is the story of a young girl from Psara.

Garyfalia Mohalvi (1817 – 1830), comes from Psara. Her parents were slaughtered during the Chios massacre and little Garyfallia was sold by the Turks as a slave. She was discovered by chance by the American Consul Joseph Langston in Smyrna. After much effort, he managed to release her and he sent her to Boston in 1827.

The history of Garyfalia and her beauty, inspired the sculptor Hiram Powers to create, in 1844, one of the masterpieces of 19^th century sculpture internationally, entitled “the Greek Slave”.

The Greek slave, a work of 1844 by the American sculptor Hiram Powers

Today the original statue is in the Brooklyn Museum. A copy of the statute is in the Philhellenism Museum in Athens, Greece (www.phmus.org).

This statue of the Greek slave became the central emblem of the struggle and the campaigns for the abolition of slavery in the United States.