"Brothers in Christ?" The Dynamics of Slavery and Catholicism in Brazil

Authors

Jaime Toiaivao Alley, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Catholicism, Brazilian Slavery, Frank Tannenbaum

Abstract

In 1946, Frank Tannenbaum provoked the ire of American historians by claiming that slavery in Brazil was more humane than in the United States. Observing the laws, religious pronouncements, and social trends related to Brazilian slavery, he concluded in his book Slave and Citizen that the presence of the Catholic Church in Brazil mitigated the normally brutal nature of slavery. This religious climate, he asserted, accounted in large part for the difference in slaves' experiences in Brazil and in the United States. In reality, however, the position of the Catholic Church towards slavery was neither simple nor one-dimensional and does not adequately explain slavery's variation between the two different countries. Not only did members of the Church express differences of opinion over slavery, but its priests also exercised little control over how slaves were treated and sometimes even supported slavery. In addition, there was no measurable connection between Catholicism and manumission, the practice of freeing slaves on an individual basis. For these reasons, the Catholic Church and its doctrine cannot be chiefly credited with shaping the contours of slavery in Brazil.

Recommended Citation

Alley, Jaime Toiaivao (2006) ""Brothers in Christ?" The Dynamics of Slavery and Catholicism in Brazil," The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing: Vol. 35: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thetean/vol35/iss1/6