Louis Kossuth in America, 1851-1852

Of the many visitors who came to America before the Civil War, perhaps the strangest guest was Louis Kossuth, the ex-governor and revolutionist who unsuccessfully rebelled against the Hapsburg monarchy. Such visitors as Lafayette, de Tocqueville, Martineau, Dickens and others came primarily to .America to learn more about our society and political institutions. This was not true in the visit of Louis Kossuth. For the first time since our independence was established, an active, central European militarist was upon our shores