Brazil History: Difference between revisions

*'''World History Archives- The History of the Federative Republic of Brazil-''' This archive includes articles written by various authors about several historical aspects of Brazil. To access [http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/42/index-e.html click here].  <br>

*'''''A History of The Brazil'''''<i> </i>by James Hendersen (1821)- This book gives an overview of the geography, commerce, colonization, and aboriginal inhabitants of Brazil, as well as the colonization and development of each province in Brazil. Accessible for free online thru Google books by [http://books.google.com/ebooks/reader?id=TgUw4qJm9eoC&printsec=frontcover&output=reader clicking here]. <br>

*[https://www.tota.world/culture/brazilian/#overview Brazilian Culture] - TOTA, gives general information about Brazilian Culture

Modern Brazilian history begins with Portuguese settlement in the 16th century. After the end of the Avis Dynasty in Portugal in 1580, a union was established between Spain and Portugal, called the Iberian Union. This lasted until 1640, when the Bragança Dynasty took over Portugal. The Bragança Dynasty lasted until 1910.  

The government of Brazil has had various rulers and governments at different times, they can be summarized as follows:  

'''1534–1549''' Captaincies, under Portuguese monarchy  

'''1549–1720''' Governors general, under Portuguese monarchy  

'''1720–1808''' Vice-Reis, under Portuguese monarchy  

'''1808–1822''' Period of Portuguese monarchy direct rule  

'''1823–1889''' Brazilian monarchy  

'''1889–1930''' First Republic  

'''1930''' Second Republic  

Major cities of Brazil were founded at the following times:  

'''1535''' Recife  

'''1554''' São Paulo  

'''1565''' Rio de Janeiro  

'''1612''' São Luís (Maranhão)  

'''1616''' Belém (Pará)  

'''1669''' Manaus  

Important historical dates are also listed in [[Brazil Historical Geography]], [[Brazil Military Records]], and [[Brazil Slavery and Bondage]]. Besides the above, following are some key dates and events in Brazil’s history:  

'''1494''' The Treaty of Tordesillas allowed the Portuguese to claim all the territory east of a north-south line 370 leagues west of the Cabo Verde Islands.  

'''1500''' Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed Brazil for Portugal.  

'''1548''' Portuguese Jews were banished to Brazil.  

'''1549''' Tomé de Sousa, the first governor general, was appointed. He established Salvador de Bahia as the capital. He was the supervisor of the captaincies in Portugal.  

'''1549''' The Jesuit Order was introduced to Brazil. It established the first schools and maintained them until 1759. These schools provided lower education for the aristocracy. Lay students were sent to the University of Coimbra.  

'''1551''' Brazilian colony made a separate diocese with the first Catholic bishopric in Bahia.  

'''1580–1640''' Portugal and Spain were unified.  

'''1604''' The Conselho de Indies (Council of the Indies) was formed in Portugal. It later became known as the Conselho de Ultramarino (Overseas Counsel).  

'''1624–1654''' The Dutch presence in Brazil was removed by the Treaty of Taborda.  

'''1695''' Gold was discovered in Minas Gerais and later in Mato Grosso and Goias.  

'''1727''' Coffee was introduced to Brazil.  

'''1730''' Diamonds were found in Brazil.  

'''1746''' Portugal encouraged emigration from the Azores and Madeira. Many settled at what is now Porto Alegre.  

'''1759''' The Jesuits were expelled from Brazil. They were not allowed to return until 1842.  

'''1759''' New laws guaranteed the Indians’ personal freedom. Each Indian was to receive a Portuguese name.  

'''1763''' The capital was moved from Bahia to Rio de Janeiro.  

'''1808–1822''' The Braganzas, the royal family rulers of Portugal, resided in Rio de Janeiro during the French occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. After 1815, Brazil was on equal status with Portugal.  

'''1818''' Land grants were made to Swiss and German settlers. In 1820, Novo Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, was founded by the first non-Portuguese settlers, who arrived in 1819.  

'''1822''' Brazil declared independence and establishesd a monarchy, which lasted until 1889.  

'''1824''' Brazil adopted a constitution that provided a federal republic, the United States of Brazil. This constitution provided for provinces and municipal governments, which called for construction of elementary schools in every town and secondary schools in large urban centers. (Private German schools closed in 1917. After 1928 all elementary instruction was to be given in Portuguese.)  

'''1850''' German colonists came to Rio Grande do Sul.  

'''1880s''' There was significant immigration of Germans, Japanese, and Eastern Europeans.  

'''1888''' Slavery was abolished (see [[Brazil Slavery and Bondage]]).  

'''1889''' Brazil became the Republic of the United States of Brazil. A decree declared that all foreigners after that date would be considered citizens unless within a six-month period they went before the municipality to make a plea.  

'''1890''' Church and state were separated.  

'''1942''' Brazil declared war on the Axis powers.  

The following books explain more about the history of Brazil:  

*Herring, Hubert. ''A History of Latin America from the Beginnings to the Present''. 2nd ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962. {{FSC|980 H2h}}

*Poppino, Rollie E. ''Brazil: The Land and People''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968. {{FSC|981 H2pr}}

*Maior, A. Souto, ''História do Brasil (History of Brazil''). São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 1968. {{FSC|981 H2mh}} The volume covers the period of prediscovery to 1967.  

*Pombo, Rocha. ''História do Brasil (History of Brazil''). 5 vols., Nova edição ilustrada. São Paulo: W. M. Jackson, Inc., 1953 {{FSC|981 H2p}} The five volumes cover the period of discovery to 1900.  

You can find histories in the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog FamilySearch Catalog] by performing a Subjects search for "Brazil - History".

Some of the most valuable sources for family history research are local histories. They describe the settlement of the area and the founding of churches, schools, and businesses. You may also find lists of early settlers, soldiers, and civil officials. Even if your ancestor is not listed, information on other relatives may be included that will provide important clues for locating the ancestor. A local history may also be helpful in identifying other records to search.

Published histories of towns, counties, and states may contain valuable genealogical information. Some state and town histories include separate sections or volumes containing biographical information.

For some localities there may be more than one history. Many histories have been written about local towns and communities in Brazil. A careful search for available histories for your ancestor’s locality is worthwhile.  

The FamilySearch Library has a few local histories for towns in Brazil. To find these, look up the town in the catalog and the subject "history." Similar histories are also often available at major public and university libraries and archives.  

An excellent bibliography of local histories is:

*''Boletim Bibliográfico da Biblioteca Nacional (BBBN) (Bibliographical Bulletin of the National Library''). Rio de Janeiro: nl.  

*''Library of Congress. Library of Congress Office, Brazil. Accessions List, Brazil: Annual List of Serials''. Rio de Janeiro: The Office, 1975–. ({{FSC|981 A3u.}}

You can find bibliographies in the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog FamilySearch Catalog] by performing a Subjects search for "Brazil - History" or "Brazil - Bibliography".

[[pt:Brasil Historia]]<br>

[[Category:Brazil]] [[Category:Histories]]