Imperial decree regulates service auctions for free Africans

On 4 March 1835, Decision no. 60 authorized measures to repress the Malê Revolt, including deporting or exiling people suspected of participation. The decision extended punishment beyond combatants...

Provincial Law no. 9 authorized expulsion of African freedpeople considered dangerous, restricted residence and property rights, imposed fees, and required a register recording name, African nation,...

On 14 May 1835, four Black African men—Jorge, Pedro, Gonçalo, and Joaquim—were shot at Campo da Pólvora in Salvador for their alleged roles in the Malê revolt. Tribunal records distinguish their legal...

Bahia Provincial Law no. 14 created capatazias to organize and supervise the urban ganho system. Enslaved workers hired out by the day or task carried goods, sold food, and performed services; many...

On 10 June 1835, Imperial Law 4 prescribed death for enslaved people convicted of killing, poisoning, or seriously injuring an owner, overseer, or members of their households, and created expedited...

Law 108 regulated contracts for immigrant settlers and their employers, including contract terms and penalties. It belongs to an expanding debate about labor supply amid continued slavery. Immigrant...

On 6 November 1837, the Sabinada began in Salvador as a rebellion against the Regency. Free Black and mestiço residents supported it as a chance to challenge discrimination, and enslaved...

A municipal posture required licenses for people working in the ganho economy, including enslaved and free workers. Licenses made street labor legible to authorities and exposed workers to fees,...

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...