Abstract
Brazilian historiography usually does not include either migratory flows to the country before 1850 nor Portuguese migration in Brazil as part of the slavery to wage labor transition process. This paper will show that in the 1830s Brazilian elites were already interested in attracting migrants and creating a labor market in the country. In 1830, Congress approved Vergueiro´s bill to regulate labor contracts signed with migrants and voted against another bill by which lands would be given to foreigners. As a result, private companies began to transport dispossessed Portuguese from the Azores to Brazil. The ‘white slavery’ was criticized by Portuguese authorities, outraged with the fact that many of those migrants worked side-by-side with slaves and even fought for job positions with them, having participated actively in the transition work process.
Keywords
Portuguese migration; white slavery; wage labor; Azores; migration companies