O Tiradentes Day it's celebrated April 21st in Brazil since 1965, by Law No. 4,897.
This date is National holiday and pays tribute to Tiradentes, considered a national hero, martyr and Patron of the Brazilian Nation.
In order to emphasize the importance of this multifaceted figure in the development of history from Brazil, the date refers to the day of his death, when Tiradentes was hanged and quartered in April 21, 1792.
According to him:
If we all want to, we can make this country a great nation. let's do it.
Who was Tiradentes?
Joaquim José da Silva Xavier was born on November 12, 1746 in Minas Gerais, in the city of Pombal (today called Tiradentes).
The nickname “Tiradentes” was related to the pharmaceutical practice that at the time authorized them to perform dental operations.
Tiradentes became involved in one of the revolutionary libertarian movements of the 18th century that took place in the colony at that time. It is necessary to remember that there were other rebellions such as the Vila Rica Revolt or the Bahia Conjuration.
The arrest and death of Tiradentes
In 1788, Tiradentes became involved in the revolutionary movement of the Inconfidência Mineira against the Portuguese Crown. He was arrested on May 10, 1789, in Rio de Janeiro, while trying to attract support for his cause.
He was imprisoned for three years and was the only one of the group of Inconfidentes to be sentenced to hang. He was hanged and then quartered in the Praça da Lampadosa, in Rio de Janeiro, on April 21, 1792.
Mining Inconfidence
The Inconfidencia Mineira was a separatist and libertarian movement, also called "Conjuração Mineira", and sought the emancipation of the captaincy of Minas Gerais in relation to Portugal.
During the 18th century, the Portuguese turned their attention to the Minas Gerais region, as several gold and diamond mines were found there. Hence the name of the state.
Minas Gerais became the great attraction for explorers and conquerors who settled in the place to try their fortune.
Therefore, the extraction of gold became the main economic activity of the Portuguese Crown during the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition to exploiting the mines, workers and slaves, high taxes were collected from the colony, such as the fifth, spill and capitation.
Much of the gold mined was sent to Europe for the purpose of enriching the Crown. Abusive taxes made the elite and the population increasingly unhappy with this situation.
Learn more about Mining Inconfidence.
The Inconfidentes group
The Inconfidentes, influenced by Illuminist ideals, were a group constituted by representatives of the Minas Gerais elite. There were landowners, soldiers, miners, lawyers, intellectuals and priests.
It was made up of about 30 members, including the Luso-Brazilian poet Tomás Antônio Gonzaga (1744-1810) and the Minas Gerais poet Cláudio Manuel da Costa (1728-1789).
The group fought, above all, for the autonomy of the captaincies, the independence of the region and the implementation of a republican government system.
When reported to the Portuguese Crown, the movement was undone, resulting in the hanging of Tiradentes and the imprisonment or exile of the other inconfidentes.
Read too: April commemorative dates
