we didn't deserve him.
Few foreigners, and certainly no other head of state, enjoyed such a great popularity in the United States as Dom Pedro II and was welcomed there with such expressive proof of respect and even friendship. Not only by politicians, but also by the American people.
The Emperor traveled about 15,000 kilometers inside the United States. Politicians did not miss the opportunity to beat each other up, and one editor said: "When he returns to Brazil, he will be getting to know the United States more than two-thirds of the members of Congress!"
On July 4, 1876, the feast of the centenary of American independence, Dom Pedro II was in the United States, but privately, as he did during his travels.
The North American newspaper commented: "No ruler, from any country, as much as man or as ruler, has never had as much merit in the United States as D. Pedro II."
In 1877, when the national political campaign began in the United States, the New York Herald recalled the visit of the Emperor and presented the following proposal: "For our Centenary plaque, we indicate Dom Pedro II and Charles Francis Adams, for president and vice- President. We are tired of ordinary people, and we are willing to support people of style. "
So great was the admiration of Americans for our Emperor that he received, in the presidential elections of 1877, in Philadelphia alone (see), more than 4,000 spontaneous vows.
- From the book "Reviving the Brazil Empire", by Leopoldo B. Xavier. São Paulo: Artpress, 1991. p. 113-115 and 107.
