18th Century Brazil

European countries through the Eighteenth century had become very dependent on their colonies in the Americas. Most of the colonies had the same situations, watched by the crown from across the sea, they were assets to a much more powerful master. Every colony in Latin America would eventually tire of being exploited, and would begin to revolt slowly relating to each other rather than their ancestry. One of the outliers in this process was Brazil, who experienced a much different road to independence. Portugal’s settlement of Brazil was different from the beginning, it had been settled slowly and Portugal was nowhere near the force that countries like Spain were at the time. Portugal was limited financially, had a much smaller military presence, …show more content…
These policies included, human rights, his authoritarian rule, governmental control over ideas, education still dominated by the Church. However, the biggest opposition came from a push to end to slavery. Pedro finally bent to the pressure and in 1824 a constitution was granted, derived in part from words used in France's ever so important Declaration of the Rights of Men. This constitution did not address the issue of Slavery , which was not mentioned. By 1825, in exchange for Brazil's recognition, Emperor Pedro agreed to settle Brazil's debts with Great Britain, and finally agreed to end the importation of slaves by 1830. However, while this was a win for human rights, this angered Brazil's planters who were benefitting financially from slave labor. Trouble came for Pedro following the death of his father, João. The impending idea of Pedro becoming king of Portugal as well as Brazil became a cause for concern. This would undoubtedly end Brazil’s long fought quest for …show more content…
In 1840, when he was fifteen, the liberals of influence within Brazil had him declared of age, and he began his rule without a regent and as a constitutional monarchy which lasted until 1889. Under Pedro II, freedom of speech was zealously guarded as well other civil rights. But the issue of slavery persisted as Brazil's growing coffee growing industry continued to buy and exploit slaves, with new slaves being shipped to Brazil until the 1850s . Up until this time, “Brazil was a major destination of the Atlantic slave trade.” Brazil continued to have “the largest slave population in the world, substantially larger than the United States.” Pedro II, being a ruler of a conservative mindset, came to see slavery, “as inherently evil.” Pedro began a series of measures liberating Brazilian slaves and he is credited as the biggest patron for human rights in Brazil at this time.. Abolishing slavery would be the last major action taken by the Brazilian royal family and it finally helped transition Brazil into its own country in the Western