[Unicum] Invitation: Congressional Reception, March 21. RSVP by March 19.

The American Hungarian Federation and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation cordially invite you to a Congressional Reception commemorating the 1848 Hungarian War of Independence and honoring Andy Harris (R-MD) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH),  Co-Chairs of the Congressional Hungarian Caucus, with AHF's Lajos Kossuth Award in recognition of their support in strengthening U.S. relations with Hungary and of democracy and human and minority rights in Central and Eastern Europe. Wednesday, March 21, 2018 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2060 Space is limited [R.S.V.P.] by March 19, 2018 Learn more about The American Hungarian Federation. Serving the Community Since 1906. Learn more about the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

 

About Lajos Kossuth "A Gift to the People of the United States from the American Hungarian Federation." The bust is one of only two honoring non-Americans in the Capitol. The base reads, "Kossuth, Father of Hungarian Democracy." Lajos (Louis) Kossuth led the democratic 1848 Hungarian revolution for independence against the Hapsburgs. Despite initial success, it was crushed by the combined royalist forces of Austria and Russia. Many of the leaders of that ill-fated revolt found their way to America where Kossuth would have a remarkable impact. "All for the people and all by the people. Nothing about the people without the people. That is Democracy, and that is the ruling tendency of the spirit of our age." - Kossuth spoke these words before the Ohio State Legislature, February 16, 1852, over a decade before Lincoln's famed "for the people, by the people" speech given at Gettysburg in 1863. Speaking to half the population of the United States at the time and witnessed by heroic welcomes across the country, Kossuth's impact on the United States was nothing short of historic. Kossuth was the first foreign statesman officially invited to the US since the Marquis de Lafayette. His upcoming speech in the Congress of the United States made the pre-civil war joint house nervous due to his democratic views on equality of all men. Kossuth envisioned a federation in the Kingdom of Hungary in which all nationalities participated in a vibrant democratic system based on fundamental democratic principles such as equality and parliamentary representation. The bloody conflict eventually led to a great compromise known as the "Austro-Hungarian Empire," in which Hungary gained some autonomy, although Kossuth would have no part in it and demanded full independence until his death. Congressman Tom Lantos introduced the resolution accepting AHF's gift to the People. The dedication ceremony took place on March 15, 1990, Hungarian National Day, under the magnificent dome of the Capitol Rotunda To celebrate and commemorate the friendship and shared values between the people of the United States and those of Hungarian descent, The American Hungarian Federation commissioned a bronze bust of Kossuth and offered it to U.S. Congress. House Concurrent Resolution 251 (Introduced by Congressman Tom Lantos, cosponsored by Congressman William Broomfield and a Senate support motion by Sen. Pell) called for placement of the statue in the US Capitol. The dedication ceremony took place on March 15, 1990, Hungarian National Day, under the magnificent dome of the Capitol Rotunda. The bust is one of only three honoring non-Americans in the Capitol. The base reads, "Kossuth, Father of Hungarian Democracy." [Read more] about the Kossuth unveiling.