The Independence of Brazil was not the consequence of a crisis that logically lead to a confrontation between the Colony and the Metropolis. After the "shout of independence" ("Grito do Ipiranga"), press and authorities only evoked that matter, both in their personal and professional correspondence, in a very careful manner. Faced with the street riots in such cities as Rio de Janeiro and others, they tried to convince the advocates of the Brazilian cause that independence as a political separation was a reality to be maintained. More than frequent threats, the uprisings of the "colored" population in the Capital became a tangible reality of runaways, groupings and disturbances that frequently turned into official inquiries, as the Police and Justice Department files clearly show. Both slaves and freemen actively took part in the country politics and all the events that marked the period. They tried to put into practice their own interpretations of the ideas of independence as autonomy; of freedom; and of the risks of going back to slavery.
Independence; Colored people's participation; Freedom; Popular riots; Political project