Could Portugal abolish slavery in Brazil in 1791?

[Gukpard]

The biggest stain in Brazilian history, worst than any dictatorship or wars and the main cause of most of our social problems was slavery. Brazil was the last country in America and the last of the Western world (if you consider Brazil western) to abolish slavery, in 1888, and the slavers were so strong that they eventually couped the government in the following year, with any plan to indenize the slaves being shelved.

However, something that it is quite interesting is that Portugal abolished slavery in 1791, when still had Brazil as a colony (Brazil became a united kingdom about 20 years later), so what if Portugal had extended the abolition of slavery to Brazil, as a direct order completely disregarding the will of the brazilian elites, could this work, or instead Brazil would be independent as a way to preserve slavery like the CSA did?

 

[RedRobyn]

Problaby not. The slavery is the basis of the brazillian economy in this time..
this is a shame, but is true.
NOW in 1808, the time of the creation of the United Kingdom? could be.

 

[TheKutKu]

I’m thinking that if revoltionary France - for a few years - abolished slavery partially because of the Haitian revolution, despite it being the ultimate cash cow, there may be a way.

You’d have to first have an early Liberal - revolutionary inspired revolution (even isn’t it isn’t as large as in France), along with a significant slave revolt/ revolt with anti slavery component...

The mineira revolt wasn’t primarily about slavery, although some elements in it favoured an abolition, maybe make this revolt more successful - but not too successful - and with a larger abolitionist sub movement, alternatively make a large slave revolt happen simulatenously to a larger Mineira revolt, and scare enough people abolition becomes acceptable.

But at the time, any redistribution of wealth or reparation would be a pipe dream.

 

[Guilherme Loureiro]

IF Portugal decided to bother with abolishing slavery in Brazil(as said before, there were a lot of economical interests involved), I'd say that, yes, Portugal could enforce it. It wouldn't be easy, or nice, but in the end, I think Portugal would win. I don't think Brazil would be able to become independent by 1791; some provinces becoming independent is a more likely proposition, but still, I doubt it.