The slave representation in O Jornal do Pilar: the crisis of slavery in Alagoas (1874-1876)

Abstract

This article problematizes the case of the Francisco slave, sentenced to death for the murder of Captain João Lima and his wife. The crime became famous because Francisco was the last one sentenced to capital punishment in Brazil. In fact, the entire trajectory of Francisco was documented in O Jornal do Pilar. Our intention is to search the pages of this journal and follow the trial of the captive. To start from this fact, we make considerations about the representation of slavery in the same periodical. Our intention is to understand the position of the editor, who sympathized with the suffering of the slaves, but did not embrace the abolitionist cause. In this way, we will discuss the bibliography on violent crimes committed by slaves and the specific legislation that provided for the death penalty since 1835. Finally, we will analyze the Census of 1872 and data on the enslaved population, we cross the qualitative and quantitative information to understand the transformations observed in the world of work in Alagoas.

Keywords

• Escravidão
• Periódicos
• Alagoas