Masonry Masonry and the and the Independence of Brazil Independence of Brazil Erlo Roth, M.M.
Dec 18, 2015
Hinsdale
Brazil - 1Brazil - 1 With nearly 200 million people, Brazil is
the largest country in Latin America
It has about one half of the area and population of South America.
It still has much poverty, bureaucracy, corruption, high taxes and interest rates, plus a high crime rate in its largest cities.
But it has huge opportunities: It is the 8th largest economy, with a GDP of $1.5 trillion, growing at 6%/year in 2008 and is expected to finish 2010 with a 7% increase in its GDP.
Brazil - HistoryBrazil - History
In 1497 Vasco da Gama had already
reached Calcutta going around the
southern tip of Africa.
So on March 9, 1500 Portugal’s largest
flotilla ever, composed of 12 ships and
1,500 men, headed by Pedro Cabral,
left Lisbon seeking a shortcut to India,
which is why that region was called
“The Grand Orient”, a name later
adopted by the Grand Lodge.
The World in 1500The World in 1500
The South pole is on the top, and the land in the upper right corner was believed to be the East coast of India.
Brazil - DiscoveryBrazil - Discovery On April 22, 1500, Cabral & Co. found land. Thinking they
had reached India, they called the natives “Indians”.
Brazil - DiscoveryBrazil - DiscoveryAfter exploring the land, and noticing that the natives
were naked, the Portuguese concluded that this was not India but some large island, which they named Island of Vera Cruz.
Brazil - DiscoveryBrazil - DiscoveryNot finding anything of great value, Cabral returned to
Portugal.
It was not until 1532 that a permanent settlement was
established, and lumber and other natural products
began to be exported to Portugal.
One tree, particularly valued, had wood as red as
embers, and was therefore called “Pau Brasil” =
emberwood. Later, the country was named after that
tree.
Transfer of Court to BrazilTransfer of Court to Brazil
In 1808, when Napoleon threatened to
invade Portugal, Emperor Dom João
VI transferred the court to Brazil.
However, that was a very expensive
burden and resulted in higher taxes
on the Brazilian people.
That generated discontent and a
desire to break away from Portugal.
The Independence MovementThe Independence Movement
When Napoleon was defeated, the
emperor returned to Portugal, but
he left his son, prince Dom Pedro I,
in charge. Because he was under
18, he was named Regent of Brazil.
The prince was very sympathetic to
the desire of the people to become
independent from Portugal.
The Role of MasonryThe Role of Masonry
A number of Masons had already
come to Brazil and at this time
there were three lodges.
The Grand Master of one of the
lodges was José Bonifácio, who
had been Dom Pedro’s mentor
since he was a child, and now he
was a minister of the royal court.
The Role of MasonryThe Role of Masonry
Many of the leaders of the
independence movement were
Masons, including Dom Pedro I.
On June 17, 1822, when tensions
between Brazil and Portugal had
become significant, the three
lodges merged into the Grand
Orient Lodge and promptly elected
Dom Pedro I as its Grand Master.
The ConfrontationThe Confrontation
Sensing trouble, Emperor Dom João VI determined that his rebellious son should return to Portugal, so he sent a squadron with 1,250 men to Rio de Janeiro to bring him back.
Dom Pedro I was in S. Paulo at that time, about 300 miles from Rio.
The ConfrontationThe Confrontation
When the ships
arrived in Rio, José
Bonifácio used his
troops and ships to
keep the
Portuguese away
from the port and
then ordered them
back to Portugal.
The ProclamationThe Proclamation
One week later, on
September 7, 1822,
when men on
horseback brought Dom
Pedro I the report of
what had happened in
Rio, he raised his sword
and shouted:
“Independence or death!”
The Official IndependenceThe Official Independence A few weeks later, when Dom
Pedro I became of age, he was promoted from Regent to Emperor.
His first act as Emperor was to officially declare Brazil an independent country.
Later, he signed the abolition of slavery, while in this chair in the Grand Lodge because so many Masons promoted freedom.
Masonry in Brazil TodayMasonry in Brazil Today
There are about 150,000 Masons in Brazil, compared with 1.2 million in the USA.
From the beginning, most lodges were chartered by the Grand Lodge of France and most of the rest by the Grand Lodge of England.
Most lodges follow the Scottish rites.
44 of the lodges of Rio de Janeiro meet in the Grand Lodge, which has 14 meeting rooms.
In most lodges all Masons wear black robes.
The lodge has three floors and 14 meeting rooms. The lodge has three floors and 14 meeting rooms. On the left are offices for lodge secretariesOn the left are offices for lodge secretaries
Candidates are examined in these dark Candidates are examined in these dark cells through the window at the topcells through the window at the top