After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in April 1865, an outpouring of sympathy from French citizens proceeded. A nationwide collection for a medal, expressing the people's sympathy for Abraham Lincoln's death, was taken. A young journalist presented the medal to the American ambassador: "Tell Mrs. Lincoln, that in this little box is the heart of France" he said. Events like this show France's sympathy for America at the time, even though emperor Napoleon III forbid national support for a democratic power.