Public opinion and slavery: Press and politics in the Brazilian Empire during the transatlantic slave trade (1820-1853)

Abstract

The present research deals with the discussions on slave trade and slavery published in Brazilian Empire newspapers back in the period between the decree regarding the freedom of the press, by the Cortes of Lisbon (September of 1820), and the debate addressing the last great disembarkation of African slaves in the Brazilian coast, in 1853 (known as the "Bracuhy's case"). The main stages of the research will be reconstructed in this text, from its beginning, in undergraduate studies, up to the present moment, when, as a masters' degree research, its scope has been enlarged both in temporal and documental terms. In order to do so, I present the research's starting points, as well as the changes it underwent, the problems that appeared, the hypothesis formulated and the first partial conclusions reached.