A amizade e a alforria: um trânsito entre a escravidão e a liberdade (Porto Feliz, SP, século XIX)

Abstract

This essay analyzes the issue of social mobility in a slave society, focusing on manumission. It examines the parish of Porto Feliz, a mainly rural area in the province of São Paulo, during the 19th century. The study draws on a variety of primary sources, including the civil record books of notary publics, wills, estate proceedings, parochial records of baptism, marriage and death. The examination of these diverse types of documentation highlights the passage from slavery to manumission, especially in those cases in which freedom was obtained through the master´s will. The paper argues that in the negotiation of manumission between master and slave, the former´s concession was paramount. The manumission resulted from a pact that presupposed, on the one hand, the slave´s submission, and on the other, his trust in the master´s word