Bahá’í History Collection* Visit to America

Of all the historical, religious and cultural events in the history of the United States, the arrival of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to NYC in April 1912 from the Holy Land was perhaps the most important one of all. Many people-–from all facets of society-–had the honor to meet him, attend his talks, benefit from his wisdom and witness his benevolence and humility. Their encounters with him were life-altering: He touched the depths of their souls and awakened them spiritually as he promoted the Cause of God for today, the teachings of his Father, Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bahá'i Faith.

Over a period of eight months, after the SS Cedric (he had given back a ticket to sail on the RMS Titanic) docked in New York City on April 11, 'Abdu'l-Bahá visited some 40 cities in the US and Canada, including Washington D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Chicago, Cleveland, Omaha, Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles, to promote the principles of the Bahá'i Faith. His most ardent talks were on the need for recognition of one human family, thus ultimately achieving unity and peace, as he saw and predicted the World War soon to begin in Europe.

Among the thousands who sought his audience: the inventor Alexander Graham Bell; the industrialist and humanitarian Andrew Carnegie; Jane Addams, the noted social worker; the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was touring America at the time; Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran, who lived in Greenwich Village; David Starr Jordan, president of Stanford University, who gathered almost all students and teachers from class in order to him speak; Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise of New York City; Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress; Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor; the Arctic explorer Admiral Robert Peary; even Hudson Maxim, the one-handed American inventor of explosives, met 'Abdu'l-Bahá to challenge him about peace.

A large number of books were written about his visit, including The Promulgation of Universal Peace, as well as a wide array of news interviews, articles and stories appearing in almost every major paper at that time.

The best sites to investigate this extraordinary visit are

www.239days.com &

https://centenary.bahai.us

and of course, for the premise to it all

bahai.org