BLACK WOMEN AND THE CONQUEST OF MANUFACTURING IN THE CITIES OF SALVADOR AND RIO DE CONTAS DURING THE 19TH CENTURY

Abstract

This article seeks to present contemporary historical discussions about the achievement of manumission by black women during the 19th century, highlighting the female winners. Enslaved women who carried out earning, urban commercial services in which they were paid and passed on part of the profit to their masters, were called earners. These women, for the most part, worked as greengrocers (selling sweets and food); The work of these women was so relevant that they were responsible for dominating small street commerce in the city of Salvador, for example. Furthermore, the exercise of earnings allowed these women to accumulate a nest egg, a reserve of available value, the result of a long-standing economy and, through this, black women in the condition of slaves were able to not only compare their own freedom, but also the freedom of their companions, children and family. In the same way, through earnings, some of these same freed women had the opportunity to rise socially, even though, given the social situation of the time, social prestige did not accompany them. Therefore, we cannot fail to consider her achievements as an example of one of the faces of black women's resistance throughout the history of slavery in Brazil. That said, to explore the theme, we use the historiography produced by scholars who debate the issues of black resistance and gender relations in the 19th century to investigate the strategies used by black women with the aim of overcoming the social, economic and cultural barriers of the time and promoting their own emancipation, a topic that is extremely relevant.