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Punishment at the shoe makers boutique © Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, Brazil |
The history of the Brazilian people and its origin is closely linked to the slave trade in the country. The ethnical mixture of races has marked our culture and our origins which its provenience is white, black and Indians.
The slave trade from Africa came from different African regions, such as the occidental coast, the Cape Vert and the Cape of Good Hope, from Oriental Coast of Mozambique and from regions of the interior of the continent. Drawings representation produced by foreign artists like Rugendas and Debret traveling in Brazil, at the beginning of the XIX century, show the profiles of these people.
Most of our religion, beliefs, besides the Catholicism, has its origins in the African myths and legends and the language used in these religions have passed through generations up to today. The mythical aspects of their beliefs have influenced our cultural development. It is necessary to research our origins and to restore the dignity of the black heritage.
Enslavement in Brazil – historic background
The reign of D. Pedro II, also called the second reign, extended from 1840 to 1889. One of the great internal questions of the Empire was the slavery, which started in the beginning of the colonial times in 1532 and extended itself up to 1888. In these three centuries and a half of slavery the black race had an important role in the economic development that started from the colonial phase and continued after the Independence.
The blacks, bought in Africa, traversed the Atlantic Ocean in terrible conditions in vessels called “black ships”.
As to how many slaves entered Brazil there is an estimative from a famous historian (Taunay) who calculated in 3.600.000 African slaves arrived in Brazil. He distributed by centuries: 100.000 in century XVI, 600.000 in century XVII, 1.300.000 in century XVIII and 1.600.000 in century XIX.
They came from different regions and were at different stages of civilization and culture. The Islamic Sudanese were more advanced than the other groups and later because the leaders in the movements of rebellion and the creation of the “quilombo” which was called the groups formed from the runway slaves. Some groups were less advanced and were still on the phase of fetishism with a social family structure very rudimentary. They came through the ports of Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife and São Luis and once they arrived in these ports they were assembled in a chack until they were sold. Prices were in accordance with their destiny – the ones for the mines, which needed to be healthy, young and strong, were more costly.
In the XVII the more important “quilombo” formed was named Palmares in the interior of Alagoas. It became the center of the resistance against slavery. A legendary figure came out of this fight against slavery – Zumbi who became a hero of this resistance. He was apprehended and executed in 1695. In 1850 the traffic of slaves was forbidden, from then on, the campaign against abolition of slavery became stronger and had the support of intellectuals and politicians. Some laws abolished the new born from 1871 on and the senior citizens in 1885.
During the absence of the Emperor, who was traveling in Europe, the Princess Isabel, acting as Regent, promulgated the “Lei Aurea” which abolished the slavery. This provoked an economic chaos since the farmers were not prepared to replace the slave labor by free workers.
Historic Background of the Institution holding the collection on enslavement
The National Library’s collection had its origin in the bookstore that D.José; king of Portugal organized to replace the Royal Library destroyed by a fire during an earthquake in Lisbon in November 1755. In 1807, when Napoleon invaded Portugal, the Queen D. Maria I and the Regent Prince D. João, the royal family, as well as the court left to Rio de Janeiro, which became the capital of the Portuguese Empire. They brought with them the Royal bookstore with around 60.000 pieces, among books, manuscripts, stamp, medals and coins. When the Royal Family returned to Europe, in 1821, left in Rio de Janeiro the library, which, after the Independence, passed to the Empire of Brazil’s ownership, as result of, an additional Convention to the Peace and Friendship treaty signed between Portugal and Brazil in 1825.
National Memory Collection
The National Library owns the greatest documental collection in Latin America, approximately 8 and a half million volumes among books, journals, manuscripts, stamps, maps, scores, discs, photos, etc.
The present collection holds 50.000 rare books, 10.000 originally from the Royal Library, 800.000 manuscripts, 35.000 maps and around 30.000 photos among others items. To the original collections were added a very large amount of private collections in provenance of collectors who donated them to the Library.
Among the collection there is an important number of items that relates to the history of enslavement in Brazil. Whether they are maps, manuscripts, books, stamps and photos they need to be assembled in a systematic form and included in a unique Date Base, which will constitute the slave trade archives.
A project for the research, identification and assembly of this material need to follow a rationale and be implemented through a management program for the documents relating to slavery, slave trade and the attendant society created in the formation of Brazil as a colony, and its development as an independent nation.
The historic documents encompass the documentary heritage of enslaved peoples of the Brazilian nation and is part of the moment of the world history and the encounter of the two worlds Europe and the new world. It is necessary, as part of the world history, that records housed in the collection of the National Library be identified and that its uniqueness be ascertain, once it is assembled, and be related to the extended bibliography and documentation on slavery, in existence.
The Library has prepared, displayed and catalogued documents pertaining to this subject in an exhibition but have not continue this research or published more widely a comprehensive bibliography and has confined itself only to the limited number of catalogues distributed of this exhibition held in 1988, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of abolition of slavery.
This documentary material was available only during the exhibition and are scattered within the collection and there are no surrogates for this collection.
Manuscripts, scores etc. showing the settlement of slaves upon their arrival in Brazil need to be identified and can provide research material for the study of the merging with other races through the last decades and which created the Brazilian race of today.
>> Multimedia
Most of our religion, beliefs, besides the Catholicism, has its origins in the African myths and legends and the language used in these religions have passed through generations up to today. The mythical aspects of their beliefs have influenced our cultural development. It is necessary to research our origins and to restore the dignity of the black heritage.
Enslavement in Brazil – historic background
The reign of D. Pedro II, also called the second reign, extended from 1840 to 1889. One of the great internal questions of the Empire was the slavery, which started in the beginning of the colonial times in 1532 and extended itself up to 1888. In these three centuries and a half of slavery the black race had an important role in the economic development that started from the colonial phase and continued after the Independence.
The blacks, bought in Africa, traversed the Atlantic Ocean in terrible conditions in vessels called “black ships”.
As to how many slaves entered Brazil there is an estimative from a famous historian (Taunay) who calculated in 3.600.000 African slaves arrived in Brazil. He distributed by centuries: 100.000 in century XVI, 600.000 in century XVII, 1.300.000 in century XVIII and 1.600.000 in century XIX.
They came from different regions and were at different stages of civilization and culture. The Islamic Sudanese were more advanced than the other groups and later because the leaders in the movements of rebellion and the creation of the “quilombo” which was called the groups formed from the runway slaves. Some groups were less advanced and were still on the phase of fetishism with a social family structure very rudimentary. They came through the ports of Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife and São Luis and once they arrived in these ports they were assembled in a chack until they were sold. Prices were in accordance with their destiny – the ones for the mines, which needed to be healthy, young and strong, were more costly.
In the XVII the more important “quilombo” formed was named Palmares in the interior of Alagoas. It became the center of the resistance against slavery. A legendary figure came out of this fight against slavery – Zumbi who became a hero of this resistance. He was apprehended and executed in 1695. In 1850 the traffic of slaves was forbidden, from then on, the campaign against abolition of slavery became stronger and had the support of intellectuals and politicians. Some laws abolished the new born from 1871 on and the senior citizens in 1885.
During the absence of the Emperor, who was traveling in Europe, the Princess Isabel, acting as Regent, promulgated the “Lei Aurea” which abolished the slavery. This provoked an economic chaos since the farmers were not prepared to replace the slave labor by free workers.
Historic Background of the Institution holding the collection on enslavement
The National Library’s collection had its origin in the bookstore that D.José; king of Portugal organized to replace the Royal Library destroyed by a fire during an earthquake in Lisbon in November 1755. In 1807, when Napoleon invaded Portugal, the Queen D. Maria I and the Regent Prince D. João, the royal family, as well as the court left to Rio de Janeiro, which became the capital of the Portuguese Empire. They brought with them the Royal bookstore with around 60.000 pieces, among books, manuscripts, stamp, medals and coins. When the Royal Family returned to Europe, in 1821, left in Rio de Janeiro the library, which, after the Independence, passed to the Empire of Brazil’s ownership, as result of, an additional Convention to the Peace and Friendship treaty signed between Portugal and Brazil in 1825.
National Memory Collection
The National Library owns the greatest documental collection in Latin America, approximately 8 and a half million volumes among books, journals, manuscripts, stamps, maps, scores, discs, photos, etc.
The present collection holds 50.000 rare books, 10.000 originally from the Royal Library, 800.000 manuscripts, 35.000 maps and around 30.000 photos among others items. To the original collections were added a very large amount of private collections in provenance of collectors who donated them to the Library.
Among the collection there is an important number of items that relates to the history of enslavement in Brazil. Whether they are maps, manuscripts, books, stamps and photos they need to be assembled in a systematic form and included in a unique Date Base, which will constitute the slave trade archives.
A project for the research, identification and assembly of this material need to follow a rationale and be implemented through a management program for the documents relating to slavery, slave trade and the attendant society created in the formation of Brazil as a colony, and its development as an independent nation.
The historic documents encompass the documentary heritage of enslaved peoples of the Brazilian nation and is part of the moment of the world history and the encounter of the two worlds Europe and the new world. It is necessary, as part of the world history, that records housed in the collection of the National Library be identified and that its uniqueness be ascertain, once it is assembled, and be related to the extended bibliography and documentation on slavery, in existence.
The Library has prepared, displayed and catalogued documents pertaining to this subject in an exhibition but have not continue this research or published more widely a comprehensive bibliography and has confined itself only to the limited number of catalogues distributed of this exhibition held in 1988, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of abolition of slavery.
This documentary material was available only during the exhibition and are scattered within the collection and there are no surrogates for this collection.
Manuscripts, scores etc. showing the settlement of slaves upon their arrival in Brazil need to be identified and can provide research material for the study of the merging with other races through the last decades and which created the Brazilian race of today.
>> Multimedia
