Dom Pedro II was elevated to the position of emperor at the age of 6, after the abdication of his father, Dom Pedro I, in 1831. He assumed power at 15, becoming the youngest ruler Brazil has ever had. Educated from an early age to be a monarch, he identified very early on with intellectuals, so he had a true passion for letters, science, and knowledge of new cultures and technologies. His curiosity led him to take long tours around Brazil and abroad.
Dom Pedro II's first international voyage was to Europe and North Africa, and his second voyage was to the United States in 1876. This was not an official visit, but one of the Emperor's curious journeys and it was full of compromises. There he visited various institutions, like schools, factories, and even prisons. Wherever he went, Dom Pedro II generated a following. The biggest event, no doubt, was the inauguration of the Philadelphia Universal Exposition. This celebrated the country's 100 years of independence, which Dom Pedro II attended with great interest.
There the Emperor marveled at the technological advances of the U.S. On that occasion, he met Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, and Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone, and tested this new invention. Captivated by the invention, he made sure that Brazil was one of the first countries in the world to own a telephone.
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| Dom Pedro II at Niagara Falls |
The pleasing relationship between Dom Pedro II and the Americans culminated in a curious situation, to say the least: the Emperor won a symbolic candidacy for the presidency. His charisma made Americans enjoy his presence to the point that he won several write-in votes in the election.
The Brazilian Imperial Museum (http://museuimperial.museus.gov.br/diario-d-pedro-ii.html) will make available on its website the journal contents of Dom Pedro II, concerning the trip to the U.S. from April to July 1876. There are forty-three pages handwritten notebooks that are part of the Museum's collection.
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