"THE SUN OF FREEDOM"? THE EDUCATION OF ENSLAVED, FREEDMEN AND INGENUOUS (1871-1875)

ABSTRACT: In this article, we seek to give visibility to the speeches made in the House of Representatives and in the Senate about the approval of the Free Womb Law. After all, how did the enslaved population face the new situation and what measures were taken to abolish what some considered as the "blackest slavery: ignorance"? To explore this question, we analyze the debates that took place during the drafting, processing and approval of the Law of September 28, 1871, the so-called "Free Womb Law", based on documents from the House of Representatives and the Senate, produced during the administration of João Alfredo Corrêa de Oliveira at the Ministry of the Empire's Businesses (1871-1975). With this investment, we analyze some aspects related to the access to formal or informal schooling of blacks, enslaved, freedmen and ingénues. In order to reflect on the effects of this project, we consulted printed materials circulating at that time, such as Gazeta da Tarde (Evening Gazette), A Instrucção Pública (The Public Instruction), Illustração Brasileira (Brazilian Illustration) and Jornal do Commercio (Trade Newspaper), in which we found important information about the debates and positions of this reform in the legislative apparatus and in public opinion. The mentioned printed materials also functioned as important sources to understand aspects and challenges of the schooling of blacks, slaves and ingenuous in the focused period.