Children of God's Fire: A Documentary History of Black Slavery in Brazil

by Robert Edgar Conrad (editor)

Contents List of Illustrations xiii Preface xv Acknowledgments xxvii Part I. "Men of Stone and of Iron" The African Slave Trade 1.1. The Beginnings of the Portuguese-African Slave Trade in the Fifteenth Century, as Described by the Chronicler Gomes Eannes de Azurara 5 1.2. The Enslavement Process in the Portuguese Dominions of King Philip III of Spain in the Early Seventeenth Century 11 1.3. A Portuguese Doctor Describes the Suffering of Black Slaves in Africa and on the Atlantic Voyage (1793) 15 1.4. A Young Black Man Tells of His Enslavement in Africa and Shipment to Brazil about the Middle of the Nineteenth Century 23 1.5. An Ex-Slavetrader's Account of the Enslavement Process in Africa and the Illegal Traffic to Brazil (1848-1849) 28 1.6. "It Was the Same as Pigs in a Sty" A Young African's Account of Life on a Slave Ship (1849) 37 1.7. A Slave Revolt at Sea and Brutal Reprisals (1845) 39 1.8. A British Physician Describes the State of Africans upon Their Arrival in Brazil (1841-1843) 43 1.9. A British Clergyman's Impressions of the Valongo Slave Market in Rio de Janeiro (1828) 48 Part II. "A Hell for Blacks" Slavery in Rural Brazil 2.1. An Italian Jesuit Advises Sugar Planters on the Treatment of Their Slaves (1711) 55 2.2. A Royal Decree on the Feeding of Slaves and Their Days Off (1701) 60 2.3. "I Doubt that the Moors Are So Cruel to Their Slaves" The Feeding of Slaves in Late Colonial Bahia 61 2.4. The Masters and the A Frenchman's Account of Society in Rural Pernambuco Early in the Nineteenth Century 63 2.5. "The African Man Transformed into the American Beast" Slavery in Rural Pernambuco in the 1840s 71 2.6. Practical Advice on the Management of Plantation Slaves (1847) 77 2.7. Slave Life on a Plantation in the Province of Rio de Janeiro in the Late Nineteenth Century 79 2.8. A Medical Report on Slaves on Five Coffee Plantations in the Province of Rio de Janeiro (1853) 86 2.9. "There Are Plantations Where the Slaves Are Numb with Hunger" A Medical Thesis on Plantation Diseases and Their Causes (1847) 91 2.10. The Annual Work Routine on Plantations in Maranhao in the Mid-Nineteenth Century 96 2.11. A Brazilian Senator Comments on the High Mortality among Rural Slave Children in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century 99 2.12. A Bahian Sugar Planter Registers His Slaves (1872) 100 Part III. Slave Life in Cities and at the Mines 3.1. Slave Life in Rio de Janeiro as Seen through Newspaper Advertisements (1821) 111 3.2. A North American Describes Slave Life in Rio de Janeiro (1846) 115 3.3. A Royal Navy Surgeon Discusses the Black Coffee Carriers of Rio de Janeiro (1848) 124 3.4. The Sedan Chair and the Urban Transportation in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries 126 3.5. Slave Prostitutes in the Brazilian Capital (1871) 129 3.6. Newspaper Advertisements for Black Wet Nurses (1821-1854) 133 3.7. A French Doctor with Twelve Years of Medical Experience in Brazil Advises Mothers on Choosing a Black Wet Nurse (1843) 135 3.8. Was the Black Wet Nurse a Transmitter of Disease? A Medical Debate in Rio de Janeiro (1846) 137 3.9. The Black Wet A Status Symbol (1863) 139 3.10. Slave Workers at the Diamond Washings of Tejuco, Minas Gerais, in the Early Nineteenth Century 140 3.11. Black Miners at a British-Owned Gold Mine in the 1860s 143 3.12. "Common Graves" How City Slaves Were Buried 147 Part IV. "From Babylon to Jerusalem" Slavery and the Catholic Church 4.1. Slavery and Church Doctrine

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Brazil

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Tom Oman · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason the history of slavery in Brazil is often treated as a side-show to what was happening in places like the US and Haiti. There were less events to mark the story of Brazilian slavery, but the sheer scale of it makes the others seem more like the periphery of slavery in the Americas by comparison . Brazil received more than half of all the slaves brought from Africa to the Americas throughout the entire course of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. About 12 million slaves were sent to Brazil, although more than 20% of them died en route.

There is no understanding of Brazilian slavery without the comparison and context of other slave colonies. Brazilian slavery was much more brutal and economically stringent than the more widely known slavery in the US and even Haiti (Saint Domingue). There were far fewer forces in opposition to Brazilian slavery and for this reason there is much less of an official record of all of its brutality. Its important to take a look into the murky world of slavery in Brazil. Part of the reason for that lack of opposition was that Brazilian slavery was much more institutionalised and actively supported by the entire government apparatus. In the US it was more of a private enterprise, while in Brazil it was perceived as a case of survival. The Brazilian administration saw the success of their slave program as being a crucial element to the sustainability of their state and they actively sought ways to justify it on any grounds possible. The easiest answer was to dehumanise the slaves as much as possible, this was of course done everywhere to some degree, but in Brazil it was much rarer to see slaves working in domestic roles as was common in other colonies. Brazilian slaves were treated much more like a commodity such as live-stock, both socially and legally. The legal authorities worked hand in hand with the huge scale industries that profited from slavery, and in most cases these were one and the same people. Like any other commodity, slaves were thought of in the cold calculatory way that any other resource or asset is considered. Slave owners were more interested in male slaves for their labour potential, whereas the US brought a roughly equal balance of men and women for a variety of agricultural and domestic labour. In Brazil, bringing and feeding the comparatively less lucrative female slaves was considered an act of largesse by more affluent economies like the US. In the US, the slave population was self sustaining and even grew considerably, however the lack of female slaves in Brazil meant they needed a constant supply brought from Africa, part of the reason why the majority of all African slaves were bound for Brazil. When slave children were born, between 70-80% of them would be dead before they reached the age of 8. Slave owners knew the cost of buying a new adult slave was far cheaper than supporting and raising a slave child up to a working age. A complete distortion of reality was required in order for the slave owners to maintain this level of cognitive dissonance. A mentality that was actively and deliberately fostered by the system, as mentioned above. When the Atlantic trade from Africa was stopped in 1851 with mainly British supervision, the Brazilian slave population went into decline until slavery itself was eventually abolished there in 1888, the last place in the Americas to do so.

Because of this level of de-humanization, conditions for Brazilian slaves were much nastier than was seen in other colonies. When slaves got sick, formulas were provided in order to calculate the relative cost of treating the illness vs the cost of a new slave. Slaves were kept much more segregated than other places, making their social life even more dysfunctional and depraved. Brazilian slaves revolted much more often and were in turn disciplined more regularly and brutally. In many cases, beatings were administered as a matter of routine as opposed to a form of active punishment. Encampments and communities of escaped slaves eventually dotted the landscape, groups that were constantly persecuted and antagonised by the authorities as well as by the wider society. These slave communities would often subsist on whatever basic agriculture they could manage, but any and all means of economic activity were on the table. You can imagine the outcome.

Whole criminal enterprises would spring up around the model of exploiting the unrestricted use and abuse of African slaves. Slaves were bought with the intent to send them out into the city to rob and steal whatever they could, and return the proceeds to their owners. Failing to meet arbitrary quotas meant severe and brutal punishment. This was often saved for less desirable slaves who could be bought at a discount, whether too young, too old, or mentally and physically handicapped. This business model was so successful that copycats quickly spread to every major metropolis big enough to support it. The legal system enforced a policy of constantly rounding up and returning escaped slaves to their owners, ensuring that even these criminal enterprises didn’t have to worry about losing their investment, regardless of how inhumane the treatment.

Brazilian slave owners saw no reason to invest in the well being of their slaves. Roughly 1 in 20 in US slaves were literate, whereas that number was roughly 1 in 1,000 in Brazil. Brazilian slaves were not given the very basic education opportunities seen in the US where charitable organisations and church programs made more of an impact in this regard. Prohibitionists and foreign reporters were purposely restricted access to the Brazilian slaves.

This book does an amazing job of documenting the entire thing from beginning to end, with over 117 primary documents presented in full. Everything from foreign tourists and their impressions all the way to rare testimonies of the slaves themselves and their owners and authorities who perpetuated the system. The history of Brazilian slavery is relatively neglected overall, but this book lays it out comprehensively. Highly recommended.

[Anna Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of primary sources for history of slavery in Brazil, the largest slaveholding state in transatlantic history

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a history nut I highly recommend this book. It is really a compilation of different journals describing the conditions of slavery in Brazil during the 1700's and 1800's. It was interesting to see the different perspectives that people had about slavery at this time, and how people felt slaves should be treated etc. It is sad, and compelling, but be ready for a text book read.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fascinating tome filled with primary sources about Brazil. Just read it, even if you don't care about Brazil, because the book is well put together.

[Christian Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT Documentary history, supremely well edited and fantastic choice of primary documents.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of primary sources for slavery in Brazil. It was absolutely brutal and lasted much longer than in the United States. Great read to get a grasp on the subject matter. This was a glass text.