University of São Paulo: Groups with political and commercial interests rejected the Independence of Brazil

Brazil’s independence was proclaimed in 1822. The split between the country and the former metropolis, Portugal, was not just the result of a dispute between Brazilians and Portuguese. This is what shows the research Politics and business for the Portuguese Empire in the context of Independence: the life trajectory and political projects of Joaquim José da Silva Maia, 1776-1831 , a doctoral thesis that is expected to be defended in the second half of 2023

The study was developed by Walquiria Tofanelli at the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH) at USP, in São Paulo, through the Graduate Program in History. The research explains, from the trajectory of the businessman Joaquim José da Silva Maia, the commercial and political interests behind the Independence conflict.

In conversation with Ciclo22, the researcher explained how the character’s trajectory is related to the interests of groups opposed to the separation between Brazil and Portugal, and how this perception helps to reflect on national historiography.

Impact on business
Born in the city of Porto, in Portugal, Joaquim José da Silva Maia (1776-1831) was a councilor in the province of Bahia and a businessman. In addition to maintaining commercial relationships that linked the territories of Brazil, Portugal and Africa, he was the author of several periodicals. Through these publications, he reported his projects for commerce, plans that clashed with the ideals of independence that circulated in Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of the court.

According to Walquíria, the capital’s pro-independence position boosted the creation of myths in historiography, such as that there was a national feeling in favor of separation from the metropolis, which does not correspond to reality.

Outside Rio de Janeiro, merchants from other provinces in the country feared that the division between the territories would disturb the already consolidated businesses. “His and that group’s greatest fear with the separation was the following: what would the trade that existed between Portugal, Brazil and Africa look like”, says Walquiria.

This perception about the different types of position in relation to Independence brings discussions about Brazilian historiography, argues the researcher. It helps to identify, for example, that the separation from Portugal resulted from several political disputes. “It dispels the idea that Independence was a peaceful process, that it was a great agreement between interested groups and D. Pedro, with a certain continuity, as if it had not been a revolution”, she says.

market rearrangement
Even opposed to Independence, Silva Maia was critical of the susceptibility of the global market and therefore defended the creation of a production and support plan within the province of Bahia itself. “The idea was for it to be self-sufficient and not depend so much, for example, on goods imported from England.”

Such a position helps to explain why the negotiator was in favor of the representative constitutional monarchic political system. The idea was to build a regulated monarchy through a constituent convened in Lisbon, Portugal.

It was a relatively daring project, argues the researcher, because if adopted, the system would open loopholes for greater regulation of decisions taken by the court. “Of course it was not a complete opening, not everyone could vote. You would need to have a certain income to be able to choose deputies. However, this is still revolutionary because it would expand political participation,” said Walquiria.

With the achievement of Independence, and the frustration of the groups that opposed it, Silva Maia returned to his hometown, Porto, in 1823. Three years later, with the death of D. João VI of Portugal, discussions about the relationship between the Brazilian and Portuguese territories, moment in which the character recognized, in fact, the political separation between the countries and started to propose a rearrangement of the market.


Map of the Province of Bahia, in the mid-1800s: Silva Maia defended the creation of a production plan within the province – Photo: Arquivo Nacional
“ He will assume that the Independence of Brazil happened, but he will defend that advantageous and bilateral relations between the territories should be maintained”, said the researcher, emphasizing that the position of the businessman represents the ideas defended by the groups that, like him, were against independence.

Politically persecuted after the accession to the throne by D. Miguel in Portugal, and the policy that was established against constitutional groups in the country, Silva Maia returned to Brazil, where he remained until his death in 1831.

The research and the researcher

Walquiria Tofanelli is a historian. Her research, carried out with funding from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel ( Capes ), is based on different types of sources. The main ones were the periodicals written by Silva Maia, such as, for example, the Semanário Cívico da Bahia .

The researcher was also based on documents from Brazilian institutions, such as the Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin (BBM) at USP, in São Paulo, and Portuguese institutions, in addition to materials shared by fellow researchers.

Walquiria reported how provocative it was to relate Silva Maia’s career to groups opposed to the split between Brazil and Portugal. “It was a challenge to outline this perspective, as these are projects that are little studied in historiography. There is almost no investigation into the characters who didn’t want independence, like this character,” he stated.