Amerikai Magyar Újság, 2002 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2002-05-01 / 5. szám
2002. május AMERIKAI MAGYAR ÚJSÁG 17 government was forthcoming. In fact, Kossuth's first meeting with an uneasy President Fillmore elicited only sympathy for Hungary's fight for independence, but no assurances of any real assistance in Hungary's fight for freedom. However, contrary to the U.S. government's relatively cool reception of the exiled governor, the American people greeted him enthusiastically. Kossuth arrived on American shores on December 5, 1851, and received a hearty welcome from the throngs gathered at Staten Island, New York. He was considered by the people of New York (and by the people of most Northern cities) a champion of liberty and of all oppressed people. This sort of reception was repeated throughout his visits in the North. However, in the South, with the exception of his visit to New Orleans, he was not welcomed warmly. In a region which depended so heavily upon the institution of slavery, Kossuth's ideas regarding liberty, the rights of men, and the liberation of all oppressed people made some feel uncomfortable. In addition, Kossuth's refusal to engage in the debate over slavery was taken by some in the South to mean he opposed it. Kossuth arrived in Baltimore by train on Saturday, December 27, 1851. According to contemporary sources, Mayor J. Hanson T. Jerome and the Honorable Judge Legrand met him in Canton, and from here Kossuth's rather large entourage proceeded up Broadway Street by carriage, turned left onto Baltimore Street, and continued on before finally stopping at Eutaw House at the comer of Baltimore and Eutaw Street. Thousands lined the route hoping to catch a glimpse of the revolutionary hero; women eagerly waved their handkerchiefs at the guest of honor. At Eutaw House, Mayor Jerome and various prominent Baltimoreans welcomed Kossuth and praised his efforts to free Hungary. Finally, Kossuth rose to address the people. He began by apologizing ahead of time for not being able to give as eloquent a speech as the many American speakers he had heard up to that time, but he promised his audience he would speak from the heart. He said: "The people of Hungary have mighty motives to risk life, to risk existence, to risk all it has for the restoration of my fatherland to its freedom and independence. We have had a nationality; now we have none. We have had a constitution . . . now Hungary has no constitution at all. We were a free people for a thousand years . . . now we are none; we have had freedom of the press. ... I have endured three years of prison for it . . . now there is no free press there-there is no press at all in Hungary- there is only the hangman and martial law. We have had freedom . . . now there is equal oppression for all." Kossuth continued to describe the condition of Hungary under Hapsburg rule, and he contrasted it with what his Hungarian government had done to promote freedom of speech, the press, religion, as well as the abolition of serfdom before 1849. He continued on, never veering from his determined course to free Hungary: "You love freedom," he said, "the Magyars love freedom also. You have a sense of your own dignity. You would not stoop to be the tool of oppression. Believe us we also would not stoop to be the tool of oppression ... we have armies ready to shed . . . blood ... for the freedom and independence of our fatherland. Therefore, you see that a revolution in Hungary is unavoidable." Kossuth's stay in Baltimore lasted only a few days, and before the end of the month he was on his way to Washington. His sojourn in America, however, would last another six months. He would continue to visit numerous cities, and enthusiastic crowds would continue to come out to greet him. As he toured the U.S., Kossuth continued his attempts to raise enough money to equip an army of resistance. But despite numerous pledges of support from private individuals and groups, great amounts of money were not forthcoming. In addition, due to shoddy accounting, money that was raised was often never seen again. By the time Kossuth left America in July, 1852, he was just as penniless as when he arrived. Kossuth's Legacy Despite failure in the attempt to raise money for a future conflict with Austria, Kossuth's visit to the United States should be considered a triumph. His tour of the United States, though unknown to most Americans today, was at that time a momentous occasion covered extensively in the press. Kossuth attained a heroic, Churchill-like stature. In fact, Kossuth was only the second foreigner up to that time-Lafeyette was the first-to address both houses of Congress. His impact on American public opinion was tremendous. One need only look through an atlas to see his enduring legacy in America. Today, there are towns named Kossuth in Indiana, Mississippi, New York,
