Twenty years after the Lei Áurea, the then Brazilian ambassador to the United States, Joaquim Nabuco, recalls the abolitionist struggle.
Handwritten letter from Joaquim Nabuco to Bastos Tigre, with its envelope.
Washington, May 18, 1908.
A leaf.
11.3 cm x 17.6 cm.
In Portuguese.
Good condition of conservation, some stains of time.
Unique piece.
Joaquim Nabuco (1849-1910) had a full life and successfully practiced many professions. However, his fame remained, above all, for being an active activist for the abolition of slavery in Brazil, with a fundamental role in the law of 1888. His various books and articles on the subject, including “O Abolicionismo” and “Minha Formação”, are references to this day. In addition to his criticisms of the Church, which did not defend the emancipation of slaves. This legacy is even more remarkable, considering that he was born in Recife, and was raised by a family that owned slaves.
Highly respected and a friend of great personalities such as Machado de Assis, he became one of the great diplomats of the Brazilian Empire (1822-1889) and the first Brazilian ambassador to the United States, between 1905 and 1910, which marked a significant change in the role of his country on the world stage. Nabuco realized the importance of Brazil, and other South American nations, developing a united relationship with the North American scene.
The letter, written at this time, is remarkable for this reason, but also and above all for evoking his abolitionist struggle in Recife, his life's work. Furthermore, it is one of the last letters of his life, as he died in Washington a few months later.
The slave mentality, racism and discrimination in general have not yet been overcome. As Nabuco predicted for Brazil, there is still a long way to go, and this letter remains very relevant today.
