Traçando rotas, repensando destinos: o tráfico interno em Juiz de Fora e suas conexões na segunda metade do século XIX (1862-1888)

Abstract

The transatlantic slave trade promoted one of the largest population displacements in history. Various studies highlight the magnitude of this forced migration. It is estimated that between the 16th and 19th centuries, 12.5 million smuggled Africans crossed the Atlantic Ocean toward the Americas. Of these, 5.5 million, approximately 46% of the total, were destined for Brazil. After the decree that ended the smuggling of enslaved blacks in the Brazilian Empire, a still relatively unknown practice, initiated in the early decades of the 18th century, which demonstrated the strength of the Portuguese colonization project, gained prominence and relevance: internal trade, in its various forms (intraprovincial, interprovincial, and local). In this context, this thesis analyzes the operating procedures and strategies used by historical agents at the forefront of slave trading companies. Our spatial focus is the municipality of Juiz de Fora, in the interior of the province of Minas Gerais, home to the most important firm of the period, Justiniano das Chagas & Cia. This was a large company operating in the second half of the 19th century in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais, with important connections to the Court of Rio de Janeiro. We understand that the organization of these commercial companies was responsible for fostering a significant and notable land- based operational apparatus, capable of forcibly displacing thousands of enslaved individuals throughout the interior of the Brazilian Empire.