Rizal visited the United States in 1888 and saw both opportunities and discrimination. He arrived in San Francisco but passengers were quarantined for a week due to alleged cholera [1]. Allowed ashore, he discovered the quarantine was political due to Chinese immigrants [2]. He traveled across the country, impressed by American progress but disturbed by racial inequality, especially towards Chinese and black people [3].

1. RIZAL’S VISIT TO
THE UNITED STATES (1888)
CHAPTER 13

2. • Rizal first saw America on April 28, 1888
• His arrival in this great country was marred by racial
prejudice.
• He saw the discriminatory treatment of the Chinese and
the Negros by the white Americans.

3. ARRIVAL IN SAN FRANCISCO
• Saturday, April 28, 1888- The steamer Belgic docked at
San Francisco.
• American health authorities did not let the passengers to
land for one week because of the rumored cholera
epidemic.

4. ARRIVAL IN SAN FRANCISCO
• Rizal knew there was no cholera epidemic that time and
he protest with other passengers the unjustifiable actions
of American authorities.
• He soon discovered that it was motivated by politics and
the ship was carrying 643 Chinese coolies.

5. RIZAL IN SAN FRANCISCO
• May 4, 1888 – The day he was permitted to go ashore
and registered at the Palace Hotel which was then
considered a first- class hotel in the city.
• May 4 to 6, 1888 – Rizal stayed in San Francisco.

6. ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT
• May 6, 1888 – it was Sunday, 4:30 P.M., Rizal left San
Francisco for Oakland, nine miles across San Francisco
Bay, by ferry boat.
• May 7, 1888 – it was morning, Rizal awoke and had a
good breakfast at Reno, Nevada, now glamorized by
American high-pressure propaganda as “The Biggest
Little City in the World”.

7. ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT
• From May 7 to May 13, Rizal wrote in his diary the
beautiful memories from Nevada, Chicago until he
reached Albany.

8. ACROSS THE AMERICAN CONTINENT
Albany
Chicago
Nebraska
Denver
UtahNevada
San Francisco

9. RIZAL IN NEW YORK
• May 13, 1888 – it was Sunday morning when Rizal
reached New York. He stayed three days in this city,
which he called the “big town”.
• May 16, 1888 – Rizal left New York for Liverpool on
board the City of Rome.
• Rizal saw the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe Island.

10. RIZAL’S IMPRESSION OF AMERICA
The good impressions were:
1) The material progress of the country as
shown in the great cities, huge farms,
flourishing industries, and busy factories;
2) The drive and the energy of the American
people;
3) The natural beauty of the land;
4) The high standard of living;
5) The opportunities for better life offered to
poor immigrants.

11. RIZAL’S IMPRESSION OF AMERICA
• The bad impression Rizal had
of America was the lack of
racial equality.

12. RIZAL’S IMPRESSION OF AMERICA
• 1890 – two years after Rizal’s visit to
the United States, Jose Alejandro,
who was then studying engineering
in Belgium, roomed with him.
• Rizal’s impression of America “is
the land par excellence of freedom
but only for the whites”.