Slavery in Brazil

Since Brazil is really my area of interest in Latin America, I decided to write about the Portuguese Slave Trade and slavery in Brazil in general. Brazil is the one country who imported the most slaves during the slave trade. At a staggering 3 million + slaves imported, the Portuguese slave traders realized that by bring slaves to Brazil, they would increase their own wealth. The document about slavery in Brazil contains writings from different types of people concerning the slaves in Brazil, and how they were treated. In the first part, a Portuguese doctor gave a lecture about the conditions of the enslaved Africans. Coming from a medical viewpoint, the doctor points out the horrible living conditions that the slaves endured on the ships. They were packed in cramped spaces with insufficient water and food supplies. When one slave got sick, the illness often spread to others in an epidemic. Because of this, sick slaves were thrown overboard like damaged goods (which is exactly how the slave traders thought of them). A British clergyman who visited Brazil in the 1800s also wrote about the slaves. He saw the slave market in Rio de Janeiro and witnessed how the slaves were treated like animals rather than humans. Prospective customers went to the market to examine the slaves before making a purchase.

This document also contains newspaper articles from Brazil where people advertised the fact that they were looking to sell or rent out a female slave to serve as a wet nurse. This once again shows how the African slaves were viewed as subhuman in Brazilian society. A French doctor even advises women on how to select a slave as a wet nurse. The doctor states that while everyone would much rather have a white woman as a wet nurse, the African women are more accustomed to the tropical climate and, therefore, are better prospects as a wet nurse. However, to prevent the nursing child from contracting a disease, the slave woman was thoroughly inspected and only when found to be free of defect, purchased as a wet nurse.

Besides the hardships that slaves had to endure in transport and the selling process, they also were often mistreated by their owners. In the case of the 12 year old slave girl being sexually abused by her master. Although there was sufficient evidence that the rape had occurred, the court still ruled in favor of the master. Giving him the right to sexually abuse her if he wanted to. To me, it is completely disgusting to see that a court of law would legally allow a person to rape another and receive no punishment for it.

Thankfully slavery has been abolished in Brazil, but the effects of slavery still linger in the multi-racial society. Blacks are often barred from moving up in society because of their skin color. Black women especially are stuck in the domestic labor force of society, and having difficulties finding any other jobs. While the government often proclaims that Brazil is a racial democracy, this is not the case. This is a direct result of the slave trade that existed in the colonial period.