In 1946, under the sponsorship of the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of Wisconsin created the Committee on Studies in American Civilization to conduct a program of research and teaching in the materials of American civilization. Several University departments participated in the twelve-part program that sought, first, to study several aspects of culture in Wisconsin and, then, relate the findings to the nation as a whole. The Study of a Polish Community, designed as a microscopic examination of a Polish-derived community in Wisconsin, was proposed by Professor Edmund I. Zawacki, chairman of the Department of Slavic Languages, as part of the American civilization study. The endeavor began in 1946 and lasted approximately two years under Zawacki's supervision, while the University Committee lasted through 1953.
The major purpose of Zawacki's study was to demonstrate, through detailed analysis of one community, how Polish culture changed through the generations after immigration. He sought to measure how the Poles influenced the surrounding community as well as assessing the extent the community affected their Americanization. Zawacki hoped his study would be the genesis of a state and national examination of the history of Poles in the United States, something that had never been the subject of a serious scholarly work.
Zawacki chose Independence, a small city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, for his study because it seemed fairly representative of early Wisconsin settlements; contained a high concentration of Poles from its inception; and had descendants of the first Polish families still residing in the community. Harriet Pawlowski conducted the study's field work. She was a Detroit high school teacher who not only spoke Polish but had experience collecting folklore. From 1 July 1946 through 1 July 1947 Ms. Pawlowski was in Independence studying the community's development, interviewing various residents and participating in community activities and events. A rich store of data on the development and history of Independence, its attitudes and customs as well as the achievements and troubles of its Polish-origin inhabitants resulted from Ms. Pawlowski's efforts. Although Professor Zawacki never produced a final report on the study, he authored a tentative outline of his findings which he read to the Madison Literary Club in 1947 or 1948.
