José Bonifácio is commonly called the “Patron of Brazil's Independence.” The title is no small thing — to say the least. But the imposing epithet doesn't say everything about his “patriarch” either. Considered by many a notable statesman, he was indeed a cultured, shrewd man imbued with public spirit. However, Bonifácio was also authoritarian, a polemicist, anti-republican — and an incorrigible womanizer.
Although he is remembered for his role as a public figure, he entered palace politics late in life. On the verge of turning sixty, he intended to live a life devoted to the study of mineralogy and agriculture — subjects in which he was an expert — in his hometown, Santos. The outbreak of the Porto Revolution, however, in 1820, would grant him the opposite fate.
José Bonifácio played a central role in the events in Brazil between 1821 and 1823. First, in local affairs, in the province of São Paulo — where he enjoyed the influence of his surname. He was elected vice-president of the provisional government being formed. He was "vice" only in title, actually taking charge of the province's direction. Even though he was not present at the Cortes, in Portugal, his brothers Antônio Carlos and Martim Afonso echoed his proposals in Lisbon.
Figure 1 — Session of the Lisbon Courts, Oscar Pereira da Silva, 1922. Museu Paulista Collection.
Image description: This is a painting depicting a session of the Courts of Lisbon. The image shows a large hall decorated with gilded chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. On the left, there are large windows with red curtains and yellow drapery. In the center, a throne covered by a golden mantle is prominently positioned. In front of the throne, a group of men is seated in wooden chairs with gilded backrests. On the right, other men are standing or seated on lower benches. The floor is made of light-colored marble, and the ceiling features ornamental details. All the figures are wearing formal nineteenth-century clothing, predominantly in shades of blue, brown, and black.His prominence at the head of the São Paulo delegation caught the attention of D. Pedro. When the São Paulo delegation arrived in Rio de Janeiro, days after the "Fico," on January 9, 1822, he was summoned by the prince to take over the Ministry of the Kingdom and Foreign Affairs, becoming the first man born in the colony to hold a top-tier government position.
At Court, he put his political acumen into practice. José Bonifácio was decisive in ensuring that Brazil's Independence took place the way it did — that is, without territorial loss, with the adoption of a constitutional monarchy of a unitary character, centered on Rio de Janeiro and on the figure of the emperor. Bonifácio's presence in daily palace life was unmatched. A father figure to D. Pedro and a brotherly one to empress D. Leopoldina, with whom he discussed politics and science — a passion shared by both.
Bonifácio's rise was swift. It's worth noting that his reputation for authoritarianism was no accident: as a statesman, he persecuted opponents. Between October and November 1822, he led an inquiry that became known as the "bonifácia," resulting in the arrest and deportation of political rivals such as Joaquim Gonçalves Ledo and João Soares Lisboa. He banned meetings in societies such as Freemasonry and shut down newspapers that spread ideas he considered radical, close to republicanism — or, in what was considered even worse at the time: "democratic."
Figure 2 — Portrait of José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, Benedito Calixto de Jesus, n/d. Museu Paulista da USP Collection.
Image description: This is a painting depicting José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, dated 1838. The figure is standing, wearing a black suit with a white shirt and red tie. On his chest, a medal with a cross can be seen. Beside him, there is a chair with a green and brown seat, and in front of him, a small table with a pen and paper. The background features red curtains and a door with gold details.It's no exaggeration to say that Bonifácio advocated for the common good as a project for the country. "The interest of those who govern must be the same as that of the governed" — his own words. He envisioned, for the Brazil then being built, roads, ports, the adoption of a new educational model, the urgency of agrarian reform. But most important — and what decisively contributed to the collapse of his political prestige — was the swift abolition of slavery. Sweeping away the colonial structures was a basic condition for the overall development of the new nation taking shape.
Far from being a revolutionary, José Bonifácio lost his position as the emperor's chief advisor when he intensified his anti-Lusitanian rhetoric, at the very moment when D. Pedro was surrounding himself more and more with native-born Portuguese — like himself. Moreover, José Bonifácio was surrounded by people who would do anything to keep the slaveholding regime as it was, and his plans for abolition sounded very unwelcome to the ears of the Portuguese-born elite — with whom he entered into a conflict that resulted in the fall of his ministry, in 1823.
Figure 3 — The Founding of the Brazilian Homeland, Eduardo de Sá, 1899. Palácio Pedro Ernesto Collection.
Image description: The image is a painting depicting a historical scene. On the left side, we see a seated man wearing a brown suit with a white shirt and a green vest. He holds a yellow flag with green and red details. In the background, there are three human figures. The first figure is standing, with arms outstretched, wearing a green garment. The second figure, in the center, stands wearing a blue and white garment. The third figure, on the right, is nude, wearing a green straw hat and holding a bow and arrow. Above them, there is a tree with bare branches and a cross hanging from it. The background of the painting is gray and light, with some abstract elements.The conflictual relationship with D. Pedro — a story all its own — would have new chapters after José Bonifácio's dismissal. With the closing of the Constituent Assembly by the emperor in 1823, he was exiled to Europe, where he remained for five years. A few years after returning to Brazil, Pedro I entrusted Bonifácio with the guardianship of his son, the future emperor, Pedro II — then five years old —, upon the monarch's abdication in 1831.
Bibliographic References
DOLHNIKOFF, Miriam. José Bonifácio. O patriarca vencido: The Defeated Patriarch. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2012
ENDERS, Armelle. A história do Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Gryphus Editora, 2015.
NALINI, José Renato. Many lives in one: José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva. São Paulo: Academia Paulista de Letras; Imprensa Oficial do Estado de São Paulo, 2020.
