Slavery and Plantation Economy in Brazil and the Guyanas in the 19th Century By Mason Schrage and Wesley Eastham
Brazil
What is the story? Portugal s colonization of Brazil Slave population in the 19th century Primarily sugar and coffee were produced as well as mineral exports Mason Schrage
Colonization of Brazil: Overview Brazil was originally colonized by the portuguese in 1500 when Pedro Alvares Cabral landed in Bahia By 1533 Portugal began an effort to establish a government in the region, splitting it into 12 territories In 1822 Brazil claims independence from Portugal, with its constitution created in 1824, therefore exempting it from the banishment of slavery Mason Schrage
Population Before 1791 Brazil was the largest slave society in the Americas After finding that native peoples were not effective as slaves the portuguese began importing slaves from Africa. Over the course of a few centuries Brazil received almost 4,000,000 slaves before the slave trades abolition in 1888 By 1850 Brazil had 1.7 million slaves Mason Schrage
Plantation life Plantation economies often made up a large part of a colony or nation s revenue and export Slave labor heavily used yielding high profits Precious metals, spices, and sugar were produced in high numbers and sent to the mainland to be sold Brazil used as stem of the many production booms Coffee became a major industry crop in Brazil Plantation economies led to rise of settlements and villages/towns Slaves also handled the transport of product from the plantation Small number of large scale plantations controlled market Large plantations known as Fazendas, with their leaders being Fazendeiros Fazendeiros were often absentee landowners of Portuguese descent Mason Schrage
Plantation life cont. Slaves were overworked and exposed to harsh punishments both mentally and physically By the 19th century African slave labor dominated the workforce due to their low cost and high efficiency Plantation owners and overseers had to be aware of slave uprisings and quilombos
Sugar Production The first sugar cane production began in 1516 Originally was produced to help European economies and their financial and legal struggle for territory in the Americas After the collapse of the majority of the gold and diamond mining industries Portugal began focusing on Sugar By 1870 Brazil was the second largest exporter of sugar in the Americas behind Cuba at 200,000 tons annually Sugar for the majority of the 19th century, was Brazil s most valuable crop Mason Schrage
Coffee Production Expands Originally used for domestic consumption, utilizing minimal slave resources In 1800 Coffee was realized as a valuable resource and demand began to rise in europe, granting Brazil another chance at leading the world market. By 1840 Brazil is the largest exporter of Coffee in the Americas. Rio de Janeiro was the initial point of growth for coffee, this was mostly due to abundant access to slaves and optimal conditions for coffee production and because of its short distance to major ports for transportation. After Brazilwood and Sugar markets began to weaken, Brazil s economy started showing cracks in its structure and a new industry was needed.
Economy
Porters Carrying Coffee, Brazil 1826
Guyanas
What is the story? Who was the Colonizing Nation? First Spanish then others came to colonize How did the Napoleonic Wars affect the trade? Under British occupation during the French Revolution and Napoleon's rule. What was the slave population in 1790 s, 1830 s, 1870 s? What is the main export? First sugar then mineral resources
Historical Context Earliest known natives were the Surinen. First Europeans to explore the area were Spaniards under the leadership of Amerigo Vespucci in 1499 Early attempts at settling the area failed by the Spanish, Dutch, English and French In 1667 Dutch took over area from English in exchange for New York. Many border disputes in the area, but eventually divided into French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana with the main languages of French, Dutch and English respectively Since Britain bought back their colonies in the Guyana area in 1831, abolished slavery in 1838 then slavery was abolished in French Guiana in 1848 and slavery was abolished in Suriname in 1863
Peopling The Surinen were the indigenous group who lived in the area of Suriname, and the Guianas for over a millenia, however before contact they left or were pushed out by other native groups The Dutch, French and English colonized the area from 1498 to the late 1860 s, however up until the last half of the 17th century colonies failed because of the native resistance. In the mid 17th century Dutch planters driven out of Brazil settled the area and plantation economies grew. By the mid 19th century most of the population was made up of African Slaves After slavery was abolished in 1863 the now free slaves refused to go back to work, so indentured servants were brought in from South Eastern Asia, and India to work.
Economy Sugar Plantation Exports Other Minerals and Spices
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