Joaquim Nabuco

View more History, Politics, Society videos

Joaquim Aurelio Nabuco de Araujo (1849-1910) was a Brazilian abolitionist, statesman, and author. Best remembered as the outstanding leader of the Brazilian abolitionist movement, he was also an ardent supporter of Pan-Americanism.

Joaquim Nabuco was born on Aug. 19, 1849, into the plantation aristocracy of Recife, Pernambuco. During 1865-1870 he studied at the law academies of São Paulo and Recife. During his years in São Paulo (1865-1869) he was stirred by the currents of liberalism, romanticism, and humanitarianism which permeated the southern city, and he joined the abolitionist movement.

After graduation Nabuco seemed content to lead the life of a comfortable dilettante. Yet the years from 1870 to 1878 merely served as a period of apprenticeship. He casually engaged in his law practice and contributed to various literary journals. In 1872 he published his first book, a literary study entitled Camöens and the Lusiads. In 1876-1877 he served as legation attaché in Washington and London.

In 1878, following the death of his father, Nabuco returned to Recife to continue the family political tradition. He soon won a seat in the national Chamber of Deputies. With the philosophy of Walter Bagehot as his political guide, the English humanitarians his inspiration, and abolition his constant goal, Nabuco hoped to gain complete abolition by legal processes based on humanitarianism and social justice without resort to the terrible civil war experienced by the United States.

In 1880 Nabuco promoted the foundation of the Brazilian Antislavery Society, which gave a loose organization to disparate abolitionist groups. A 2-year self-imposed exile in London, following an unsuccessful reelection campaign in 1881 because of his position on slavery, resulted in O Abolicionismo (Abolitionism), a polemical indictment of Brazilian slavery. Of transitory importance, as is most polemical literature, O Abolicionismo was the most learned and forceful study presented against slavery during the abolitionist campaign. In 1886, disheartened by reverses in the antislavery movement, Nabuco wrote O Eclypse do abolicionismo (The Eclipse of Abolitionism) but 2 years later exalted in the proclamation of total, uncompensated abolition.

Nabuco, a stout proponent of parliamentary monarchy, unsuccessfully led a campaign to federalize the empire - a longtime goal of the Liberal party. But when the monarchy fell and a republic was established in November 1889, Nabuco began a 10-year retirement from public life.

During this respite, Nabuco produced his most important literary work. Um estadista do imperio (1889; A Statesman of the Empire), a study of the life and times of his father, Senator José Thomaz Nabuco, and his own episodic autobiography, Minha formacão (1900; My Formation), were his best efforts.

Although not completely reconciled to the new regime, in 1898 Nabuco agreed to present Brazil's case in the boundary dispute with British Guiana. Soon after Nabuco arrived in London, the Brazilian minister died, and Nabuco reluctantly agreed to fill the vacancy. He served in that capacity until 1905, when he became Brazil's first ambassador, the Washington legation having been elevated to the rank of an embassy. At a time when United States - Latin American relations were at an all-time low, Nabuco remained a staunch supporter of hemispheric unity. In 1906 he served as president of the Third Pan-American Conference in Rio.

In the United States Nabuco was a popular ambassador and able representative of his country. But his health, racked by a combination of heart difficulties and migraine headaches, deteriorated in mid-1909. He died in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, 1910.

Further Reading

The major work on Nabuco is a biography by his daughter, Carolina Nabuco, The Life of Joaquim Nabuco (1950). It is a detailed account of Nabuco's life and is greatly enriched by extensive quotations from his speeches, books, articles, and letters.

Bibliography

See biography by his daughter, C. Nabuco, The Life of Joaquim Nabuco (tr. 1950, repr. 1969).

Joaquim Nabuco
Joaquim Nabuco at age 53, 1902.
Born	August 19, 1849(1849-08-19)
Died	January 17, 1910(1910-01-17) (aged 60)
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature

Joaquim Aurélio Barreto Nabuco de Araújo (Recife, August 19, 1849 — Washington, D.C., January 17, 1910) was a Brazilian writer, statesman, and a leading voice in the abolitionist movement of his country.

Biography

Born in Brazil, Joaquim was the son of a major political figure in the Brazilian Empire, Jose Thomas Nabuco (1813–1878), a lifetime senator, counselor of state, and wealthy landowner. Jose made his move from conservativism to liberalism in the 1860s, establishing the Liberal Party in 1868 and supporting the reforms that would lead to the abolition of slavery in 1888. ("Joaquim Nabuco, Conservative Historian", Richard Graham, Luso-Brazilian Review, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Summer, 1980), pp. 1–16)

Joaquim Nabuco spent most of his time from 1873 to 1878 traveling and living abroad. After returning to Brazil in 1878, Nabuco began his public fight against slavery through his political activity and in his writings. He campaigned against slavery in the Chamber of Deputies from 1878, and he founded the Brazilian Anti-Slavery Society. In 1883, he wrote probably the most important work against slavery in the Portuguese language: O Abolicionismo. Although he was largely responsible for the abolition of slavery in 1888, contemporary affirmative action intellectuals believe his reasons for doing so were related to an elitist fear of slavery "Africanizing" Brazil. He is quoted as saying, "Free labor and slave labor cannot coexist, and neither can slavery and immigration". (Citation: Sales Augusto dos Santos, translated by Laurence Hallewell, "Historical Roots of the 'Whitening' of Brazil" in the journal Latin American Perspectives, 2002.) However, it is hard to explain, under this view, why Nabuco would want Africans to become free citizens when slave traffic had already been prohibited.

After the overthrow of the Brazilian monarchy he retired from public life for a period of time.

Joaquim Nabuco at age 29, 1878

He later became the first ambassador from Brazil to the United States from 1905–1910, which marked a significant shift in his country's role in the world arena. Nabuco realized the importance for Brazil, and other South American nations, to develop a united relationship with the North American stage. In Washington, he worked with Elihu Root who also supported this idea of Pan-Americanism. He spent many years in both England and France, where he was a strong proponent of Pan-Americanism, presiding over the 1906 Pan-Americanism conference. Following Nabuco’s death on January 17, 1910, the Pan-American Building in Washington, D.C. was finally completed. At the dedication ceremony the Secretary of State said the following words about him: “One voice that should have spoken here today is silent, but many of us cannot forget or cease to mourn and to honor our dear and noble friend, Joaquim Nabuco. Ambassador from Brazil, dean of the American diplomatic corps, respected, admired, trusted, loved and followed by all of us, he was a commanding figure in the international movement of which the creation of this building is part…” (Citation: Ronald Hilton and Alexander Wyse, Reviewed Work: '"The Life of Joaquim Nabuco" by Carolina Nabuco' in the journal of The Americas, 1950.)

His best known work is his autobiography Minha formação (My education), published in 1900. It vividly portrays the slaveholding society in 19th century Brazil.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joaquim Nabuco

Preceded by Antônio Peregrino Maciel Monteiro (patron)

Brazilian Academy of Letters – Occupant of the 27th chair 1897–1910

Succeeded by Dantas Barreto

v t e Empire of Brazil General topics History Politics Economy Armed Forces Nobility Wars Independence of Brazil (1822–1824) Cisplatine War (1825–1828) Platine War (1851–1852) Uruguayan War (1864–1865) Paraguayan War (1864–1870) Emperors Pedro I Pedro II Statesmen José Bonifácio de Andrada Marquis of Paraná Viscount of Rio Branco Military Duke of Caxias Marquis of Erval Count of Porto Alegre Marquis of Tamandaré Count of Eu Abolitionists Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil André Rebouças Joaquim Nabuco

Persondata
Name	Nabuco, Joaquim
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1849
Place of birth
Date of death	1910
Place of death

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)