Entre réus e suplicantes: a atuação de escravos e libertos em ações cíveis na vila de Pitangui e seu termo (1740-1799)

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the access to justice by the slave and free populations in the village of Pitangui, during the 18th century. Through civil actions of different types initiated and answered by these subjects, we assimilated the main motivators of the conflicts experienced, how they called themselves in front of the court, as well as the form of treatment received by their opponents, lawyers and city officials. We understand, in the same way, the profile of the enslaved and freed people who were present in the petitions, such as color, place of birth and gender. The time frame established comprises the date from 1740 to 1799 and was chosen because it is the period of greatest production of demands for the locality. The choice of location is justified due to the importance of Pitangui in the economic scenario of the 18th century, having been one of the main food supply centers of the Captaincy of Minas Gerais and for having as a productive base, in addition to mining, agriculture. The region was also known for the various political conflicts between the population and the crown, which emerged from the beginning of its occupation. In the light of Niklas Luhmann's Systems Theory, we understand that the action of these individuals contributed to the construction of notions of justice, to the application and reconfiguration of Law in the town of Pitangui and, consequently, to the remodeling of the general legal frameworks of Portuguese America. , through the dynamics of everyday life and the participation of these segments in the bureaucratic apparatus and in the courts. The legal system and society maintained a dynamic and interdependent relationship, so the system opened up to accommodate the demands of the enslaved and the manumitted and closed itself off to maintain its operability, stability and authority.