A vision of black slavery in the Province od Pará, 1850-1860

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the issue of black slavery in the Province of Pará, through the problematization of the statements and reports of the presidents and vice presidents of the Province, between 1850-1860. For this approach, such documents were contextualized from the debates that were taking place about black slavery in Brazil at that time, and analyzed in the light of historiography, more specifically in the province of Pará, seeking to understand how the debate had repercussions in the province. This analysis revealed that while the central debate of this period was aimed at banning trafficking and curbing the irregular entry of new Africans into Brazil, the main concern of the provincial authorities was about the quilombos and the potential damage they caused. At the root of this apprehension was the fear of enslaved insubordination. This concern was not completely removed from the debates about slavery that were taking place in the country’s capital, but they were also revealing of events and situations peculiar to the province of Pará.