Slavery In Brazil Essay

By the 19th century, coffee became the most exported product from Brazil along with sugar cane, which is why today Brazil is considered the largest coffee-producing nation in the world. The transatlantic slave trade was extremely related to the cultivation of coffee; as more coffee plantations were created, more slaves came to work the land. Initially the cultivation of coffee concentrated in Rio de Janeiro, and later expanded in the whole Paraiba do Sul River Valley, which has territory in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. This area specifically, was extremely filled with African slaves who served as the primary work force in coffee plantations. However, by 1831 the transatlantic slave trade became illegal, and by 1888 slavery was …show more content…
Ever since the abolition of slavery, many poor African descendants living in the rural coffee and sugar zones of Brazil have been victims to slavery practices in order to pay debs. Focusing in the causes that lead to new forms of slavery in Brazil, James Brooke gives the definition a modern day slavery by interviewing experts in the subject. The president of the of the Rio de Janeiro Farm Workers Federation union group said, in 1993, that economic misery has forced people to accept any kind of job; usually labor contractors lure unemployed men and women with “good” job offers far away from home, and then make them work long hours to pay back for food and transportation. On the other hand, economic status seems to be closely related with race in rural zones of Brazil, being the poorest mostly dark skinned people with prominent African features. In 1989, 597 Brazilians suffering conditions of slaves were documented, while in 1992, 16,442 were found to be victims of contemporary forms of slavery in rural parts of Brazil. This growing presence of modern day slavery in Brazil is product of the use of new forms to make slavery legal, as employers have use the excuse of bonded labor in order to exploit cheap