Abstract

VALENTIM, Silvani dos Santos. Crianças escravas no Brasil Colonial. Educ. Rev. [online]. 1990, n.11, pp.30-38. ISSN 0102-4698.

One does not find much information about Black children’s situation in the history of Brazil’s colonial period. Reports of XIX century provided the data for articles such as the ones of Mott (1972) and Mattoso (1981). However as we considered those data insufficient for our study we started to search for the real position of the slave children in other sources of the literature of the colonial period. This we collected data, fragments of history and intermingled various points of view which will try to tell the story of the black and slave children. The text arouses question such as: If it were forbidden for them to attend school was it allowed for them to participate in the religious cults? If They were such mean human beings in what ways were they “utilized” How were they brought up? Various interpretations were raised up as we read about Brazil’s colonial period. Nevertheless we concentrated the emphasis of our reading in Gilberto Freyre’s Casa Grande e Senzala (1). We analyzed and discussed the way both black children and women were presented by Freyre. In his analysis Freyre conveys the view of miscegenation - between blacks and whites - as an element whick propiates union and harmony among races. Such a view foresees and brings forth a false racial democracy.

Keywords : Black Children; Colonial Period; Negro Slavery; Slavery-Brazil.

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