Coffee plantation. (1896). The Latin American Library.
https://library.search.tulane.edu/permalink/01TUL_INST/1jgl1pd/alma9945514512306326
By Christopher Vargas History 3072
Brazil during the 1800s its economy was derived from agriculture goods and exporting goods and selling them to other countries. One of their primary good that would be cultivated in Brazil and the main source of labor force that was used in Brazil during the 1800s was slaves. In Brazil even after claiming independence from Portugal they still wanted to keep the colonial structure form of government that was left by the Portuguese. They wanted to keep the monarch in power as they new that it would be best to keep a system that is benefiting the country and could cause problems if the system is changed without a plan made beforehand. Even some of the early Brazilian empire symbols still resemble a European style of symbol were Theresa crown and a cross on top of it. in the ones I got to see from the slide lectures it seems like something Spain would use in their symbols.
Pedro II is seen as a monarch and comes into power in 1838 he is only 12 years old and a council is made to help him make delegate matters of the country. The country uses agriculture goods to trade, transport and sell to Europe and other countries making their economy self-sufficient. The only thing they rely is on that was not from Brazil was slaves. “Most enslaved Africans brought to the Americas ended up in Brazil, and most of them worked on plantations.”[1] From what I learned in one of our class lessons was that the Brazilian Government wanted to industrialize and wanted to get machinery that would help cultivate and manage the crops better. The plantation owners believed that industrial machines would be more effective than slaves.
In the primary source A Day on a Coffee Plantation by Stanley J. Stein we learned about some of the daily routines of slaves working on a coffee plantation they would work from sunup and we learn about the different job’s slaves had cooks, the ones attending the land and the mothers that would be nursing the young children would look after them while helping. In 1889 the monarchy is overthrown but, before that Princess Isabel Abolishes slavery, and Brazil becomes a democracy.
[1] Stanley J. Stein “A Day on a Caffee Plantation” Vassouras: A Brazilian Coffee County, 1850-1900 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1957)