Abstract:
This study analyses the understanding of federation and confederation that can be seized from the writings of Frei Caneca, produced during the independence process of Brazil and the beginning of the First Reign. These terms were used interchangeably in the period and spanned with the same intensity different political notions that were juxtaposed at the time, involving the sovereignty of a developing national state and the emphases on how provincial autonomy was considered. The Federalist Papers, a classical work for the notional understanding of the liberal state's formation in its federative dimension, will be used as a theoretical counterpoint to this debate.
Keywords:
Liberalism - provinces - federation - confederation