Brazilian Plantation (1851)

Slavery completely devoids a person of even the most basic human rights by designated them as the property of another. The complete abolition of legal slavery was a great turning point for the last century, and one of the greatest achievements towards equality. However, it was not until 1888 that slavery in Brazil was finally abolished.

During the colonial period in Brazil, plantation owners had virtually no interference from authorities. They were free to run their plantations as they pleased. During this period the plantations were primarily concentrated in the Northeast, where sugar was produced. There was a shift later in the 19th century were coffee became the main export, and its production was mostly in the southeastern region of the country. The production of these crops relied on slave labor. Unlike the United States, the slave population in Brazil did not reproduce itself internally, it relied on the slave trade. It is reported that more than two million slaves were forcibly taken to Brazil between 1800 and 1850. Much of these slaves were taken to Brazil at a time when the slave was supposed to be illegal. It was made illegal under the Anglo-Brazilian Treaty of November 1826 that Brazil was made to sign if it wanted British recognition and support. However, despite pressure from British diplomats Brazil did not fulfill its treaty obligations, and it continued the slave trade. In 1850 Britain made a decision to allow its navy to pursue potential slave ships into Brazilian waters, this decision convinced Brazil to enforce legislation and end the slave trade. After this decision, there was a significant decline in the slave population.

The engraving depicts life for slaves immediately following this decision. The ending of the slave trade was a blow to the institution of slavery in Brazil. The slave population would steadily decline over the next few decades. Life was hard on Brazilian plantations with death rates, mostly due to the extremely poor treatment of slaves and illness. It is important to not only recognize the circumstances regarding the ending of slavery but the reality of the lives of the slaves.

Works Cited:

Fig. 1 Brazilian Plantation; Fig. 2, 3 Diamond Washing; Fig. 4, 5 Brazilian Sports; Fig. 6, Brazilian Planter’s Family Walking to Mass; Fig. 7 Patagonian Camp. n.d. Photograph. Library of Congress.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Fazenda.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., January 21, 2015.

Bethell, Leslie. “The Decline and Fall of Slavery in Brazil (1850–88).” In Brazil: Essays on History and Politics, 113-44. London: University of London Press, 2018. Accessed March 5, 2020. doi:10.2307/j.ctv51309x.8.