The children (slave, "ingênuo" or free; under 15 years old) inserted as laborers in Mariana (Minas Gerais) households (1850-1900) / A não-infância: crianças como mão-de-obra em Mariana (1850-1900)

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

This research studies the children (slave, "ingênuo" or free; under 15 years old) inserted as laborers in Mariana (Minas Gerais) households during the second half of the 19th century. Since the decline of mining, that locality consolidated the subsistence economy as its main activity. The focused period constitutes a transition from slavery to a free labor system. The interruption of international slave traffic and the emancipation of children born of slave mothers and of slaves over 60 years old were events of a gradual transition process, culminating in the abolition of slavery. From 1850 to 1871, the internal traffic and natural reproduction were the only ways to perpetuate slave labour, but the latter possibility was excluded by Lei Rio Branco. However, that law authorized the slaveholders to use "ingênuoss" labor up to the age of 21. The slaveholder who wanted to keep forced labour would have some kind of difficulties (the worst of them, maybe, was a rise in the cost of the slaves). In these circumstances, many projects tried to compensate for the absence of slave labour. Among them, there were those which focused on the use of native workers, particularly poor free men, freedmen and "ingênuos". By this conception, the children, who could be early educated for work, had a considerable role. Some of the reasons why children began to work were the captivity, orphanhood, illegitimacy and poorness. The young workers did tasks as farmhand, shepherds and domestic servants. The documentation contained few working children under 7 years old, but the number of working children increased progressively in the following age groups. From 12 to 14 years old, the children already had their occupations described in the documents. We examined a vast set of register office sources - post-mortem inventories, slave and "ingênuos" registrations, records of slave purchases and sales, judicial suits, letters of emancipation - and official sources - population maps, inhabitant lists, 1872 census, provincial presidential reports -,which gave us an idea of the childrens labour in Mariana in the 19th century.

ASSUNTO(S)

economia de subsistência subsistence economy transição para o trabalho livre trabalho infantil transition to free labor system child labor

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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