Enslaved people revolt at São José do Queimado after a broken promise of freedom

Around midnight on 5 November 1838, enslaved people at Fazenda Freguesia in the Vassouras region broke out of the quarters and moved to free their families. Manuel Congo, Marianna Crioula, and other...

At 10 a.m. on 12 November 1838, police forces captured Manuel Congo and Mariana Crioula, leaders identified in the records as the “king” and “queen” of a quilombo formed by people who had fled...

On 13 December 1838, a group of men attacked the jail at Vila da Manga in Maranhão, an event often used to date the start of the Balaiada. The wider revolt drew in poor rural people, Black...

On 4 September 1839, Manuel Congo was hanged in Vassouras after the trial of participants in the 1838 escape and uprising. Authorities denied him burial as an additional public punishment. The trial...

On 8 August 1845, Britain passed the Aberdeen Act, authorizing British courts to try slave-trading vessels and crews under its interpretation of existing treaty rights. The act followed Brazil’s...

On 11 January 1850, Chico Prego was hanged publicly in Serra after being captured for his role in the Queimado uprising. Authorities used the execution to make an example of a leader who had mobilized...

On 4 September 1850, Law no. 581 strengthened the imperial state’s authority to suppress the landing of enslaved Africans brought into Brazil by sea. It came after decades of treaty promises and...

Law no. 601 of 18 September 1850 defined rules for public lands and regularizing existing occupation. It restricted new land claims through occupation alone and made purchase central to access to...

Decree no. 708, dated 14 October 1850, established procedures connected to the suppression of the slave trade, including the treatment of vessels suspected of illegal importation. The decree...

Decree no. 731 of 14 November 1850 provided additional implementation rules for Law no. 581. Its place in the rapid sequence of regulations shows the imperial government building administrative...