Abstract
The article investigates the career of Joaquim Pedro de Alcantara Dourado (1827-1856), a teacher of First Letters in the city of Rio Grande/RS. The documents analyzed include correspondence from the Public Instruction, the legislation in force at the time, advertisements in the local press and the two lawsuits in involving Joaquim, for supposedly having punished students in an immoderate way, among other charges. It was identified that the profession of teaching, in the 19th century, even if carrying a degree of authority among the community, demanded a strict behavioral code from the teachers, who were expected to act as moral examples of civility for their students. The main reason for the lawsuit against the teacher is understood to be the act of punishment, even though some of his acts have contributed to the condemnation.
Keywords:
teaching profession; public education; nineteenth-century school culture