“Confiados na justiça da sua causa, sabedoria, e incansável zelo a prol da Província”: o Conselho Geral de Minas Gerais como espaço de participação dos cidadãos (1828-1834)

Abstract In this article, we intend to analyze a corpus of petitions presented to the General Council of the province of Minas Gerais between 1828 and 1834. Our goals will be, firstly, to characterize and explain the assessments conveyed by the petitioners about their society. To accomplish it, we read such discourses through a set of social strategies and rhetorical devices that were instrumental in their uses. Secondly, we will focus on the role played by the General Council in Minas Gerais, with special emphasis on the implications of the petitioner’s movement in the dynamics of the institution in its task of proposing, deliberating and discussing the province’s affairs.