Entre o nacional e o local: eleições, organização e atuação das elites políticas na província do Maranhão (1842/1875).

Abstract

This research intends to study and analyze the organization and performance of the political elites of Maranhão, in the 19th century, between 1842 and 1875, after the elections. It seeks to understand the configuration (and reconfigurations) of the political groups from Maranhão at that time. The elections (and frauds) for elective positions in the central and provincial governments were certainly a singular moment that mobilized local political groups; they also evidenced their actions, identities and strength. It will be, therefore, a crucial and recurrent subject of this work. The first part of the research covers the period immediately after the end of the Balaiada revolt, until the year 1875, promulgation of the Lei do Terço. This extended period allows for a more in-depth look at the profile of the elite in the meantime. In this part, I will focus on the deputies from Maranhão elected to the General Chamber and the Senators. On a smaller scale, I will use, whenever necessary, information from other important institutions, notably the Municipal Chambers (of São Luís and Caxias) and the Provincial Assembly. In the second part, the analysis begins in 1855 and ends in 1864. In it, I will go into more detail on electoral disputes. One institutional actor in particular, the President of the Province, becomes central in the conflicts of the elites, and he will also be analyzed based on the references made to him and his interventions in the elections. To investigate the identities and organization of elites at the provincial level, I will focus on a specific source: newspapers of the period. Another documental corpus, broader, will serve to confront, when possible, these characterizations and identifications with institutional action: the minutes and annals of the Senate, the General and Provincial Assembly, the notices of the Ministry of the Empire and the reports of the provincial presidents. Finally, the collections of Laws of the Empire and of the Province will help to understand the institutional organization.