Slavery+Brazil

Slavery in Brazil didn't take long to start an industry that relied heavily on the slave trade in the new Portuguese colonies. The first slaves in Brazil were imported from Africa as early as 1535, which is only 35 years after Pedro Alves Cabral first landed, also only 3 years after the organization of Brazil's first settlement. Even earlier than this an attempt had been made to enslave the native South American population. In most of the New World this had not been successful mostly because of the lack of resistance to new diseases introduced by the colonists. In brazil most of the native inhabitants were hunters and gatherers, and not accustomed to the sedentary lifestyle that plantation work required them to do, this may help explain why the attempt at native slavery was so short lived.

The famous dance style **Capoeira** was originally developed as a means of defying the orders of slave owners. the kicks and acrobatics would prove not effective against the weapons of the slave owners. Normally the slaves resisted their owners by fleeing from them.Escaped slavew would often band together with other freed/escaped slaves or native South Americans and formed camps and small villages as forms of refuge, we also refer these places as quilombos ( or macobos).

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In the year 1888 Brazil became the last country in the world to officially abolish the practice of slavery of any kind. they have been under pressure to abolish slavery from many country including Great Britain adn then eventually the U.S. Before being granted their freedom by the government, slaves began walking off plantations in mass numbers. Princess Isabel, the daughter of Dom Pedro II is the one responsible for signing the law, called the Lei Aurea (Golden Law), that really freed all of the slaves.

Slavery exsisted here for more than 250 years, which accounts for half of the history of Brazil. Yet still some amounts of slavery continues in certain parts of the country to this day. It is estimated that like 25,000 people still work and live in "conditions analogous to slavery". There is little doubt that these conditions and a generally poor economic history has Brazil's long reliance on slavery to blame.

**Capoeira** - is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences