“Man’s strength is small when it comes to creating a new world – yet a great mind conceives it, finds it, and opens it,” reads a note by Jovan Jovanović Zmaj written on the occasion of the anniversary of the discovery of America and Christopher Columbus, which Stojan Novaković published in Brankovo kolo alongside his own entry intended for Columbus’s Album:
“You believed in God, but you believed just as firmly in science, trusting in your scientific thought. A new world was the reward for your steadfast and fearless faith in science. That is why today all worlds know and celebrate you. The old ones take pride in you because you found them an unknown companion; the new ones celebrate you because you united them with their unknown brothers.”
This entry was written two decades after prominent figures from the narrow circle of Serbian writers and scholars responded to the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America.
The signatures of Jovan Ristić, Stojan Novaković, Nićifor Dučić, Stojan Bošković, Alimpije Vasiljević, Vladimir Jovanović, Jovan Bošković, Miloš Zečević, Andra Nikolić, Milorad Popović Šapčanin, Panta Srećković, Ljubomir Klerić, Sima Lozanić, Matija Ban, Jovan Mišković, Mihailo Valtrović, Jovan Đorđević, Milan Đ. Milićević, Dimitrije Nešić, Sava Sretenović, Jovan Dragašević, Jovan M. Žujović, Stevan D. Popović, Dimitrije Đurić, Dr. Jovan Turoman, Svetislav Vulović, Ljubomir Kovačević, Dr. Jovan Jovanović, Gligorije Geršić, and Svetomir Nikolajević appear beneath the following text:
“At the time when the great Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula were in the darkness of bondage. Today, the representatives of literature and science in Serbia, filled with faith and hope in the future of the ideas of brotherhood and justice among civilized nations, joyfully greet the 400th anniversary of the glorious son of Italy.
Belgrade, April 12/24, 1892.”
At the beginning of the 19th century, we find the first cultural contacts between our peoples—initially established by individuals, and later by diplomatic representatives. According to currently available sources, the first Serbian emigrant to America was Đorđe Šagić in 1815, and as early as 1848, decades before the establishment of official diplomatic relations, the Serbian newspaper Podunavka published an unofficial estimate that about two thousand Serbs were living in various states and cities of America. At the same time, according to the second population census in Serbia conducted by Prince Mihailo in 1841, the Principality of Serbia officially had 828,895 inhabitants.
The nineteenth century, often overlooked in contemporary discussions of Serbian-American relations, represents the period in which friendly ties between two naturally close peoples began to emerge.
Through the stories of people in the capital and beyond who shared their experiences and admiration for America, through the development of diplomatic relations in the second half of the nineteenth century, and through the efforts of our compatriots who saw their future in America—such as Mihajlo Pupin, Nikola Tesla, and others—the Serbian people became increasingly visible at a time when the United States was becoming more familiar with the political dynamics of Europe. The sincere friendship forged during this period eventually evolved into an alliance during the conflicts that affected the Balkans and the world in the second decade of the twentieth century.
The discovery made by Christopher Columbus transcends any purely geographical achievement. The discovery of the New World gave rise to modern global and international currents of development that would shape and advance human civilization in the centuries that followed. Such an achievement leaves an indelible mark in the archive of human accomplishment.
The nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century were a period when, through alliance and friendship, the New World looked upon Serbia in the most elevated—and truly Columbian—manner.
On August 16, 1918, the newspaper Srpske novine reported an article from The Washington Post which stated the following:
“It took the Balkan War of 1912 for Europe to gain even a faint understanding of the true character of the Balkan peoples. That year the world discovered Serbia in much the same way that Christopher Columbus discovered America. Eight months later, when Bulgaria treacherously attacked its Serbian and Greek allies, Europe began to perceive the truth about the Bulgarian people, who had been described as progressive and enlightened. Since then, public opinion has gained a stronger acquaintance with the Bulgarians, though too slowly. But for the past four years the world has increasingly recognized the greatness and nobility of the role that Serbia has played in the present war, so that today there is no government and no nation that does not feel sympathy and admiration for this suffering people. That admiration was most beautifully expressed by Mr. Balfour in his speech at the first session of the Committee for Serbia’s War Aims. Among other things, he said: ‘God grant that the Balkan peoples, who have shed their blood with us, may reap the fruits of their efforts.’”
The New World recognized in Serbia the very principles upon which the United States of America was founded. The most prominent names of Serbian science and literature saw in the United States a path of development and felt a spirit of empathy and closeness.
In this New World, we owe it to our predecessors—from both Serbia and the United States—to view the advancement of our relations with friendly and sincere eyes. Otherwise, different perspectives may once again distance us from fulfilling the vision of the great figures of our history, who in their wisdom and conviction, and in the mutual interest of our peoples, looked centuries ahead.
