About

WHEN HE ARRIVED IN America our newspapers called him the “Apostle of Peace.” He “will surely unite the East and West,” the president of Stanford University remarked, “for he treads the mystic way with practical feet.” “There is no doubt, among thinking people,” a famous columnist wrote, “that this man represents, in great degree, the growing and evolving spirit of our times.” “Let him visit any bank, factory, office building, church, and everything is laid aside, and eyes bulge and ears listen until he takes his departure.”

His name was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

The year was 1912. A fiercely contested election challenged Americans to decide what kind of country they wanted to live in. Minorities and women fought for civil rights. Workers faced off against corporations. Soldiers landed on foreign shores, sparking debate on the nation’s role in the world. Did Americans really believe—like Theodore Roosevelt—that “The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us?”

On April 11, ‘Abdul-Bahá joined the conversation. For 239 days he traveled across America, reaching across political, religious, racial, class, and gender lines to confront Americans with a vision of human nature, social unity, and the nation’s future that was 100 years ahead of its time.

239 Days in America brings to light this important time in American history. It reconstructs ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s 1912 journey moment by moment, time-shifted to the present. You will encounter ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as Americans of the time did—little by little, day by day.

239 Days in America offers Americans a new outlook on an important piece of their past, and an opportunity to connect with this unique and unifying voice in American history.

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