Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, spent a significant portion of his life in Europe, where he studied and worked as a doctor. However, he also spent some time in the United States, including a brief stay in New York City.
Rizal first visited New York in 1888, when he traveled to the city on a steamship from Liverpool, England. He arrived in the city on November 2nd and stayed at the Brunswick Hotel, located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. During his time in New York, Rizal visited several landmarks, including Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Public Library. He also spent time with members of the Filipino community in the city, who welcomed him warmly and were eager to learn more about his work and ideas.
While in New York, Rizal also met with several prominent figures, including the journalist and writer Joseph Pulitzer, who owned the New York World newspaper. Rizal and Pulitzer had a lengthy conversation about the Philippines and the plight of the Filipino people under Spanish colonial rule. Rizal also met with the abolitionist and social reformer Henry Ward Beecher, who was known for his advocacy for the rights of enslaved Africans and his support for women's suffrage.
Despite his busy schedule in New York, Rizal found time to write and reflect on his experiences in the city. In a letter to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rizal described New York as a "magnificent" city with "extraordinary" buildings and "magnificent" parks. He also wrote about the kindness and generosity of the people he met in the city, and praised the city's strong sense of community.
Rizal's stay in New York was short, as he left the city on November 16th to continue his travels in the United States. However, his time in the city had a lasting impact on him and his views about the world. Rizal's experiences in New York helped to shape his ideas about democracy, freedom, and equality, and influenced his later writings and activism.
In conclusion, Jose Rizal's stay in New York was a significant and formative period in his life. During his time in the city, he met with influential figures, visited important landmarks, and learned more about the culture and values of the United States. His experiences in New York had a lasting impact on his ideas and his work as a writer, reformer, and national hero.