In March of 1848, the Hungarian people, inspired in part by the American Revolution, revolted against the Rulers of the Austrian Empire in a bid to gain their independence and freedoms. The Hungarian Diet or Parliament accepted many of the revolutionaries' requests-such as; freedom of the press, the liberation of the serfs, equality before the law and an independent Hungarian Government. But within 6 months, the Imperial Austrian Government attacked the revolutionaries and crushed the rebellion in a bloodbath that lasted for several years. Some of the rebellious leaders sought refuge in America where their revolution was widely covered in the American press and supported by the American population. 

Abraham Lincoln even drew up a resolution which in part reads; "Resolved, that in their present glorious struggle for liberty the Hungarians command our highest admiration and have our warmest sympathy-that they have struggled for liberty - the Hungarians command our highest admiration and have our warmest sympathy-that they have our most ardent prayers for their speedy triumph and final success."