Enslavedpeople'sstrike

For a long time, the 1858 typesetters' stoppage was considered the starting point of strikes in Rio de Janeiro. However, throughout the 19th century, enslaved people were employed in factories and manufacturing alongside free workers, and actively took part in various stoppages, even though this fact was rarely reported or the information was recorded incompletely.

Image description: The image is an old engraving representing a map. The spatial layout begins with mountains on the left, followed by islands and peninsulas in the center. To the right, there are more islands and a coastline. The map contains several place names written in Gothic lettering, such as "S. Bernardo," "Botá Fogo," "Lagoa de Pregantes," and "I das Palmes." Straight and curved lines indicate nautical routes. The map is in black and white.

Between 1840 and 1850, 45% of workers in the paper, soap, leather, hat, and textile industries were enslaved. Over the course of the century, this percentage decreased, but, until 1888, it was never lower than 20%. The 1872 census recorded 2,000 enslaved people as active workers in the city's small factories.

"Walls" — as work stoppages by enslaved people were called in that period — were recorded, with various demands, throughout the entire century. In the late 1820s, the enslaved workers of the Real Fábrica de Pólvora, in Jardim Botânico, joined free workers to demand improvements in working conditions, including daily wages and food rations.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white engraving. It shows a monumental entrance, with classical architecture, flanked by two decorative side columns. At the center, there is a portal closed off by a wrought-iron gate. Above the portal, an ornamental architectural element stands out, possibly a coat of arms or a decorative motif. In the background, tall trees and dense foliage cast a shadow over the entrance. At the bottom of the image, there is an inscription that reads: "Portão da antiga Fábrica de Pólvora. (Jardim Botânico). Rio de Janeiro." The date "1939" is signed at the bottom right.

In 1854, the enslaved workers of the Fábrica de Velas e Sabão da Gamboa, armed with pieces of firewood and knives, stopped work and demanded to be sold to another slaveholder. There are no records of the reasons behind the demands, but faced with the protests, the owner Joaquim da Rocha Paiva used police force to contain the “strikers,” who ended up surrendering.

In 1858, captives who worked at a coffee warehouse on Rua da Saúde revolted against the business owner, Manuel Ferreira Guimarães, who had decided to sell them off to resolve the serious financial situation the enterprise was facing. The workers staged a stoppage, citing fear of being sent to rural areas to work on coffee plantations. Even amid the backdrop of slavery, it was more advantageous to remain in the urban area, given the possibility of living “on one's own” and the ease of making friends and forming family arrangements. Once again, police repression put an end to the stoppage, and the strikers were imprisoned in the Casa de Detenção.

Despite the scarce and incomplete records, strikes by enslaved people were a reality in nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro. Under various forms of organization, the captives brought manufacturing to a halt, undertook escapes, and joined free workers in order to have their demands met, even amid the hostile scenario of the slaveholding world.

Image description: The image is a colored illustration, likely from a postcard, depicting two characters in a rural setting. The figure on the left, dressed in black and white clothing, holds a piece of wood that appears to be a work tool. The figure on the right, wearing a yellow hat and a striped shirt, has their hands in their pockets, looking to the side. Both are standing in front of a brick and stone structure. At the top of the image is the title "ATEANDO FOGO" and below it, there is text in Portuguese that appears to be a conversation between the two characters.