Protest, Insubordination, and Slavery Reminiscences in the Building of the Bahia-Minas Railway in the emancipation Decade

• Main Authors: Iacy Maia Mata, Robério Santos Souza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) 2020-12-01
• Series: Revista Mundos do Trabalho
• Subjects: construction workers; post-abolition; reminiscences of slavery
• Online Access: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/mundosdotrabalho/article/view/75386/45028

In 1888, slavery was abolished in Brazil. The emancipation decade, in the far South of Bahia, was accompanied by conflicts and tensions involving masters, slaves, abolitionists, and provincial officials. Adding to this setting was the presence of a multitude of workers from several places in for the building of the Bahia-Minas railway. These workers put forth a host of protests, mutinies, and claims along the decade, contributing to the “atmosphere of unrest” which marked the struggles around slavery and freedom in the region. In 1888, after the May 13 th emancipation law was approved, a crew of Portuguese construction workers were tied to trunks as a punishment for an armed protest, and were kept in prison for months. This paper analyses this episode and discusses slavery reminiscences in labor relations in the railway construction just after emancipation, drawing upon police and judicial documents.