On September 7, 2001, Brazil commemorates the 179th anniversary of Brazilian
Independence from Portugal. But even today with our modern systems of instantaneous
communications there is a major lack of knowledge about Brazilian history in Brazil. The
Brazilian media is not doing its part in developing and promoting an appreciation of the
major Brazilian historic figures who helped bring into existence the great nation which
Brazil is today.
During the research process of my book José
Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva—The Greatest Man in Brazilian History I spoke with
a number of high school and college history professors from around the country in the
United States, and not one knew who José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva was, nor did they
know much about the history of Brazilian independence.
Different Perspectives
There is a sharp contrast between the United States and Brazil in the recognition that
they give to the respective founding fathers of their nation. In the United States, George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison, to mention a few names,
are held in the highest esteem by its citizens. However, in Brazil the founding fathers of
the Brazilian nation, such as José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva and his brother Martim
Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada are not appreciated by the Brazilian people with the same
level of reverence, recognition and enthusiasm that Americans have for their founding
fathers.
As the country Brazil takes its place among the major nations in the world, Brazilians
will have to become more aware of their history. The Brazilian media should help educate
the population about Brazilian history. This education can be done by starting to develop
movies and historical educational television programs to present to the world the great
men of Brazilian history. They can start with a movie about the life of the greatest of
them all— José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva.
Why is José Bonifácio so important to Brazilian history? José Bonifácio, the
architect of Brazilian independence, is known as "The Patriarch of Brazilian
Independence". José Bonifácio was the source who gave the orientation, the form,
the doctrine, the guidance, the intellect, and strategy, the combination of which resulted
in the liberty and unity of the new Brazilian nation. Without José Bonifácio the country
Brazil in its current form would not exist today.
The French had a major impact on Brazilian culture since 1555 when Villegaignon
established a French colony in Brazil close to where Rio de Janeiro is located. The
greatest French influence on Brazilian culture came as a result of the French Revolution.
José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva was studying in Paris at the Royal School of Mines in
the years 1790-1792. He was studying under many world famous scientists of the time,
including Vauquelin, Antonio Lourenço Jussie, Jean-Antoine Chaptal, Antoine François
Fourcroy and Antoine Laurent Lavoisier.
José Bonifácio got to know Lavoisier well because both of them were interested in
geology. He also had a personal friendship with Vauquelin, Fourcroy and Chaptal and
through them he met their good friend Maximilien Robespierre. These men had one thing in
common: they were members of one of the most influential political clubs of the French
Revolution: the Club Breton. Later their members became known as the Jacobins. The Jacobin
Club counted among its early members the Comte de Mirabeau, Abbé Sieyès, Antoine
Barnave, Jérôme Pétion, the Duc d'Aiguillon and Maximilien Robespierre. José
Bonifácio had direct exposure during this period to the best intellectual minds of that
time, who were having a major impact on the events of the French Revolution.
José Bonifácio traveled a lot around Europe during 1793-1800, but his favorite place
was Paris and he stopped in Paris every time he had the chance. This decade (1790-1800) is
the period that had the major influence on the formation of his intellectual, cultural,
scientific, and political thoughts, which helped him in the fulfillment of his destiny as
a great statesman.
In 1823, the Andrada brothers (José Bonifácio, Martim Francisco and Antônio Carlos),
with their leadership, had a major impact on the Constituent Assembly. They guided the
proceedings of the process of framing the first Brazilian Constitution. This Constitution
was effective December 13, 1823. They used as a model the French Constitution of 1816
which is also referred to as the "Lamartine Constitution".
In 1808, when Napoleon's army invaded Portugal, the Portuguese Royal Family moved to
Brazil and they stayed in Brazil until 1821. This move by the Portuguese Royal Family had
a very positive impact on Brazil. The Brazilian legal and judicial system is based on
Roman law and the Napoleonic Code. There is no doubt that French culture had a major
impact on Brazilian culture; to this day many Brazilian company executives know Paris much
better than they know New York City, and they can speak French and not English.
The Brazilian nation has reason to be proud of its intellectual roots; its roots are
connected to the French Revolution and its intellectual minds. France was the major power
in the world during that period of time (1750-1815), and Paris was the major artistic,
scientific, and intellectual center of that time. The French Revolution had a major impact
on world history; it changed the world.
The process of the independence of Brazil did not happen just by chance. José
Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva was fully intellectually prepared to guide Brazil with his
leadership and superior intellect through that very important turning point in Brazilian
history.
The Brazilian Cultural Society
Today, I am in the process of incorporating and organizing the Brazilian Cultural
Society (BCS), a nonprofit organization under IRS Code Section 501 (c) (3) nonprofit
tax-exempt status. This organization will make a major contribution to the cultural life
in the United States, in Brazil and in the world. The Brazilian Cultural Society is a new
organization, which is designed to open up new horizons on the American cultural
landscape.
The Brazilian Cultural Society (BCS) is a nonpolitical organization, whose purpose is
to foster educational, literary and benevolent activities, to preserve and advance the
Brazilian culture, customs, language, and Brazilian arts. The Brazilian Cultural Society
will seek to expose American audiences to Brazilian performing and visual arts.
The members of the society set the preservation of Brazilian culture as their goal.
Another objective is to provide an atmosphere for social interaction by Brazilians living
in the New York/ New Jersey/Connecticut metropolitan area and to promote a positive
understanding and appreciation of Brazilian culture.
The Brazilian Cultural Society has six distinct areas of activities:
1) The José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva Center for Brazilian History Studies.
2) The Brazilian Public Library Initiative.
3) The Brazilian Literature Translation Initiative.
4) The Brazilian Lecture Series.
5) The Brazilian Performing and Visual Arts Initiatives.
6) The Brazilian Writers Association (BWA) Uniäo Brasileira de Escritores (UBE).
The Board of Directors of The Brazilian Cultural Society is being drawn from a
select group of elite academia, government, and business leaders. The board already
includes among its founding members some world renowned intellectuals such as:
1) Nélida Pinõn. She is a world renowned Brazilian intellectual and one of Brazil's
most important contemporary novelists. She is a member of the Brazilian Academy of
Letters. She was the first woman to hold the position of president of that prestigious
organization. She has received the highest prizes in literature in Brazil and also in
Latin America. Many of her books have been international bestsellers such as Caetana's Sweet Song and The Republic of Dreams.
2) Professor Gregory Rabassa. American translator who was largely responsible for
bringing the fiction of contemporary Latin America to the English-speaking world. Of his
more than 30 translations from Spanish and Portuguese, perhaps the best known is Gabriel
Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude (1970).
Mr. Marquez was a 1982 Nobel Laureate in Literature. He also has translated works of
Machado de Assis and Jorge Amado.
3) Professor Carlos Guilherme Mota. One of the most important Brazilian historians
today. He is a prolific writer and has published a long list of history books.
4) Ambassador Flávio Miragaia Perri, an Honorary member of the board. Currently he is
the Consul General of the Brazilian Consulate in New York. Ambassador Perri also has
pursued one of the passions of his life in the field of literature, and his works include
various books of poetry.
Ex-President of Brazil, Mr. José Sarney, is the latest person to accept an invitation
to become a member of the board of directors of the Brazilian Cultural Society. It is an
honor to our organization to have such an illustrious man as a founding board member.
Mr. Sarney's long career in public life started as a Deputado Federal (1956- 1966),
then governor of the state of Maranhão (1965-1970) , then Senador representing the state
of Maranhão (1970-1986) and the President of Brazil (1985-1990). After ending his
presidential mandate he returned to political life after being elected Senator. Currently,
José Sarney is a Senator representing the State of Amapá. Mr. Sarney is a member of the
Brazilian Academy of Letters, and he has been a prolific writer and has a long list of
published books. He also contributes to major Brazilian newspapers, and he writes articles
for such newspapers as O Globo.
The José Bonifácio de
Andrada e Silva
Center for Brazilian History Studies
The mission of the José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva Center for Brazilian History
Studies is to foster awareness and appreciation of Brazilian history and to serve as an
international scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and
dissemination of materials relating to Brazilian history. The goal is to become a
"national archive" of Brazilian history from 1500 to 1900 with a strong focus on
the period 1800 to 1900; a period which will cover Brazilian Independence in 1822 and the
Proclamation of Republic in 1889.
The objective is to create an Internet database to document this period of Brazilian
history, and its holdings will become the preeminent resource for scholars, students,
filmmakers and publishers who want to study or document Brazilian history from this
period. This database will be available and accessible, without charge, on the Internet to
anyone around the world with an Internet connection. The objective is to further the study
of Brazilian history by creating an international forum in which scholars of other
countries can interact with other scholars and share the results of their research with
their peers.
There will also be a newsletter where the scholars will be able to publish the results
of their research, in turn, enriching further the Brazilian history experience.
Conferences and seminars for historians will be organized, and lectures for general
audiences will be offered.
The Website will make available as many books as possible related to José Bonifácio
de Andrada e Silva. There are a large number of books covering that subject. These books
have been published since the 1840's and they comprise a vast body of literature important
to scholars interested in studying Brazilian history and development. There are not only
biographies of José Bonifácio's political career, but also books that cover other
subjects which were so important to him as a politician, poet, scientist and humanist.
In this Website the database will include all of the works of José Bonifácio, from
his scientific papers to his book of poetry. It will also include major documents
important in the formation of the new nation, such as all the government decrees prepared
and made into law by José Bonifácio. Many articles will be included that were published
by the Andrada brothers in their newspaper O Tamoyo.
When historians refer to "The Andrada Brothers" they are referring to the
three brothers, as follows: 1) José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva (1763-1838), 2) Martim
Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada (1775-1844 ) and 3) Antônio Carlos Ribeiro de Andrada
Machado e Silva (1773-1845).
The Website also will include the document "Declaration of Independence of
Brazil." Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada was entrusted with the job of drafting
this document. After reviewing the details of the document with José Bonifácio, the
document was immediately sent to Prince Dom Pedro.
On September 7, 1822, Dom Pedro was in the outskirts of São Paulo by the Ipiranga
River when a messenger overtook him with the dispatches and letters from José Bonifácio,
Dona Leopoldina, and the document from Martim Francisco. After reading the dispatches Dom
Pedro declared the independence of Brazil.
The first Brazilian Constitution prepared in 1823 by the Andrada brothers also will be
included. This Website will become a very important place for scholars doing research on
Brazilian Independence and the Proclamation of Republic.
This great project will be made possible by a partnership between the Brazilian
Cultural Society, and contributions from corporate and foundation supporters. This project
will make Brazilian history available not only to the American public, but to the entire
world.
The Fairleigh Dickinson University connection
We are in the process of inviting the president of Fairleigh Dickinson University to
also become a founding board member of our organization, but that will depend on Fairleigh
Dickinson University's willingness to make a small investment in the creation of the José
Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva Center for Brazilian History Studies at the University.
Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) is an ideal place for this Center of Brazilian
History Studies, since I graduated from this university with a BA in Economics and MBA in
Finance and I am an alumnus of the University. FDU's new president, J. Michael Adams,
understands the importance of learning about other cultures, and he is a heavy supporter
of FDU's strong international programs. He believes each student should have an
international experience. There's been an acknowledgment at FDU that the University has a
responsibility to prepare the students with a global outlook.
FDU's distance-learning program has been gaining national attention. Stories and
broadcasts featuring the news that Fairleigh Dickinson University has become the first
traditional university to require students to take online courses have appeared in local
and national media, including CNN, MSNBC, USA Today,
The Boston Globe, U.S. News and World Report, the Chicago Tribune, The Associate Press, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Chronicle of Higher Education and Voice of
America.
Every Fairleigh Dickinson student will know how to learn online, but more importantly,
they will discover how the Internet can be used to connect people and to open doorways to
new worlds and new cultures. Toward that end, the University has begun recruiting a cadre
of distinguished scholars and practitioners to serve as world faculty.
Another reason why I am choosing Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) is because FDU is
becoming a prestigious institution and it is gaining a reputation for innovation and
educational excellence in the USA. The University has been ranked by Success magazine one of the "Best
Entrepreneurial Schools" in the country.
FDU is the only New Jersey institution to earn this distinction. The study, published
in the February/March issue, ranked schools on a number of criteria, including the caliber
of students, faculty, curriculum, outreach to the community, innovative programs and
reputation among fellow schools.
Established in 1989, FDU's Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies is part of the
Samuel J. Silberman College of Business Administration, which is accredited by the
prestigious AACSB International, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of
Business.
An extraordinary organization
The Brazilian Cultural Society will be a great asset to Brazil because the organization
will promote Brazilian history and culture in a positive manner to the U.S. market. The
organization will promote the best that Brazil has to offer from its culture, including
its major literary and other artistic figures, but also it will try to explore the
extraordinary intellectual minds of the figures who provided Brazil with its intellectual
base. The organization will present to the world the high caliber of the intellectuals
involved in Brazilian history, such as José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva and his
brothers Martim Francisco and Antônio Carlos; these men helped to build the foundations
of the great nation. Brazil became a great nation not by chance, but because it had some
great men in its history who provided the guidance and direction to a better future.
The president of Fairleigh Dickinson University ( FDU ) in Teaneck, New Jersey, has
been receptive so far to the plan for the José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva Center for
Brazilian History Studies, but the major obstacle that we have to overcome right now, is
to find the seed money for this project. If you know of a source of funding which will be
willing to fund this type of project, please contact me at the following address: Ricardo
C. Amaral - PO Box 110302, Nutley, NJ 07110-0906 or by email at the following address: ricardocamaral@hotmail.com
Ricardo C. Amaral, the author, was born in the city of São Paulo,
Brazil. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA, where he
received a BA degree in Economics and later an MBA degree in Finance. He continued his
Academic studies towards a PhD degree in Economics at Fordham University, but then elected
to immerse himself totally into a professional corporate career. Ricardo Amaral is among a
very few remaining living descendants of both José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva and his
brother Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada, the founding fathers of Brazil. You can
contact the author at ricardocamaral@hotmail.com
