Economic Aspects of the Paulista Engagement in the Independence Process

Abstract

The article analyzes the economic interests of the paulistas deputies sent to the Cortes Gerais Extraordinárias e Constituintes da Nação Portuguesa and how those questions were presented and ran at the meetings. In a second moment, I intend to look at the accommodation between their economic interests and the political ideas that were in their requests. The reading of the paulistas speeches in the Diaries raises three main points: 1) the search for keeping the unity through Brazil's executive power; 2) doubts on the location of the central power in the Portuguese America; 3) free trade. It is attempted to show that these point are deeply connected to the socio-economic formation, and to the last instance, to the economic interests of those deputies.

Keywords: internal market; federalism; Lisbon Courts