The First Commemorations Of Brazil’s Independence In The Press Of The Province Of Maranhão (1826-1831)

This article investigates the first celebrations of Brazil’s Independence in the press of Maranhão, incorporated into the Empire on July 28, 1823. The years following Independence witnessed the construction of the imperial state, also from a symbolic point of view. In 1823, September 7th and October 12th emerged as milestones of the newly achieved emancipation, dates to which provincial variants were added, such as July 28th. In Maranhão, between the acclamation of the Emperor in 1826 and his abdication in 1831, the commemorations of these three dates guided the disputes over the past to be remembered, with October 12th predominating until 1829, the time of the emergence of July 28th. The comparison with the celebrations in Rio de Janeiro and, to a lesser extent, in Bahia with July 2nd, reinforces the “mosaic” perspective that guides the approach. Briefly, it is plausible to assume that the national commemorations referenced in the series of events that occurred in 1822/1823 also had the format of a “mosaic,” a conceptual key for understanding a vast and disparate territory, whose pieces barely fit together, asymmetrically, in the emergence of a state distinct from the Portuguese one and which, gradually, gained operationality.

KEYWORDS
memory; independences; empire of Brazil