History

When the portuguese arrived in Brazil in 1500 they found that it was not newly discovered land, but had been inhibited for several thousand years by indigenous people. The native inhabitants mostly consisted of the nomadic Tupí-Guaraní Indians. When Portugal made the journey across the Atlantic Admiral Pedro Álvares Cabral claimed the territory for Portugal.

Pedro Álvares Cabral

The early explorers brought back a wood that produced a red dye, named pau-brasil, from which the land eventually received its name. After Portugal realized it had found a land with mass natural resources it colonized Brazil in 1532 and made the area a royal colony in 1549. The portuguese were very interested in sugarcane, coffee beans, and the gold which was available in the area. After several centuries Brazil had major conflicts with the Portuguese and On September 7, 1822 a man by the name of Dom Pedro I declared independence for Brazil, establishing the independent Empire of Brazil. The Empire of Brazil went smoothly for a while, it was during this time slavery was abolished. When Dom Pedro I died his son Dom Pedro II took over. Dom Pedro II was very popular until a dispute between the army and government arose in 1889. Wanting to avoid civil war Pedro II stepped down, changing the Empire into a republic. After becoming a republic the following years were filled with immigration, mainly by european, japanese, and arab immigrants.

Emperor Dom Pedro II

 

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