author
Antonio Pereira Rebouças
1798–1880
A self-taught lawyer and politician in imperial Brazil, he rose from a humble background to become one of the country’s most notable Black public figures of the nineteenth century. His life opens a vivid window onto debates about citizenship, law, and race in a slave society.
1 Audiobook
Apontamentos sobre a via de communicação do rio Madeira
by Antonio Pereira Rebouças
About the author
Born in Maragogipe, Bahia, on August 10, 1798, Antônio Pereira Rebouças was the son of a Portuguese tailor and a formerly enslaved woman. Without the means for formal legal study in Europe, he educated himself and built a career in Salvador, eventually earning recognition as a lawyer through his knowledge and practice.
Rebouças became active in public life during the years of Brazilian independence and went on to serve in politics in the Empire of Brazil. He was known as a skilled jurist and parliamentarian, and later received the title of counselor to Emperor Pedro II. His career was remarkable not only for its prominence but also for the barriers he faced as a Black man in a society still shaped by slavery.
He is also remembered as the father of the engineer and abolitionist André Rebouças and the engineer Antônio Rebouças Filho, part of a family that became deeply important in Brazilian history. Rebouças died in Rio de Janeiro on June 19, 1880, leaving behind a legacy tied to law, public service, and the long struggle over civil rights and citizenship in Brazil.