The expeditions namedandentries and Bwalkers aimed to capture of Indians for slave labor and the search for precious metals, like gold, silver and diamond. Soon after the sugar crisis, which began in the mid-16th century, both the Portuguese Crown and individuals organized expeditions to explore other types of wealth within the colony.
THE discovery of precious metals in the regions of Minas Gerais, Goiás and Mato Grosso began their settlement and disputes over mines, causing armed conflicts and immediate Portuguese intervention to organize the flow of people at the site, but also to profit from the mining.
Read too: Brazil wood – first raw material explored in the colony
What were the entries and flags?
Entries and flags were expeditions carried out in the 18th century, towards the interior of Brazil, with the objective of finding precious metals and imprisoning Indians to be slave labor. The differences between the two expeditions are:
at Appetizer they were financed by the Portuguese Crown and had as their starting point the coast;
at flags they were private expeditions from São Paulo.
The Importance of Tickets and Flags for Brazil
Until the 17th century, most settlers who lived in Brazil were concentrated on the coast because of the sugar trade. With the crisis in this commercial activity, it was necessary to find other sources of wealth. The entries and flags were expeditions that started the occupation of the interior of Brazil. When the first gold mines were discovered, word spread quickly. Thousands of foreigners from other regions of Brazil and Portugal arrived in Minas Gerais to quickly enrich themselves with precious metals.
Success in mining it brought about changes in the administration of the colony. The capital was transferred from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, which was close to the region of Minas, which facilitated inspection by the Crown as well as the flow of gold production to the port of the new capital towards Portugal. The Brazilian hinterland began to be populated and, close to the mines, the first cities emerged, such as Mariana, Ouro Preto, Pirenópolis, and Cidade de Goiás.
The sum between the large number of people exploring the precious metals and the king's strong supervision so that the tax was paid on time awakened the first movements against the Portuguese presence in Brazil.
News from Europe about the Enlightenment movement, which preached the liberalism political and economic, the independence of the United States, in 1776, and the French Revolution, in 1789, were reasons for discussions about the urgency of breaking the ties with Portugal and the Brazilians themselves exploring their territory. O displacement of the economic axis from the Northeast to the Center region–South of Brazil brought changes that would reflect in the independence, in 1822.
Historical context of entries and flags
THE Iberian Union, junction of çportuguese and spanish golds, in the 17th century, brought changes to Brazil. The cancellation of Treaty of Tordesillas, an imaginary line that divided the American continent between the Iberian crowns, motivated the first insertions in the Brazilian hinterland. If the treaty was seen as a prohibition, its annulment meant a chance to get to know and explore the interior of the colony.
THE Dutch invasion in the Brazilian Northeast, between 1630 and 1650, sugar production in Brazil changed. The expulsion of the invaders led to the sugar crisis. The expelled Dutch went to the Antilles and started planting sugar cane, becoming Portugal's strong competitors. As it did not have the means to respond to the Dutch action in European trade, Brazilian sugar devalued considerably, triggering a socioeconomic crisis in the North East.
The Brazilian coast, which had been Portugal's main source of wealth for two centuries, was now just damage. The Portuguese Crown needed to act quickly to reverse the situation and maintain the exploitation of its colony. Since their arrival in 1500, the Portuguese expected to find precious metals in Brazil. As Spain found several gold mines in the Potosi region and profited from the mining, Portugal expected the same fate when Pedro Álvares Cabral landed here on April 22, 1500.
However, the mines were not on the coast, but inland. While they were not discovered, the Portuguese realized that the northeastern coast was the ideal region for planting sugar cane. The sugar trade was on the rise in the European trade, and the Brazilian coast was then reserved for the planting of sugarcane.
The Brazilian colonial economy was not based only on sugar. There was no homogeneity between the captaincies. São Paulo followed the opposite direction from the Northeast. São Paulo production was for subsistence, that is, restricted to the region and consumed by the paulistas themselves. There was no need to supply raw materials to Europe. Therefore, the indigenous labor it was so dear to the paulistas.
While the Northeast witnessed the arrival of the first black slaves to work in the sugarcane plantation, for the people of São Paulo, the most viable labor was that of the Indian. For this reason, the pioneers, when they began their expeditions to the sertão, were interested in capturing the latter. It was for this reason that the banners left São Paulo and were financed by private individuals. The interest in São Paulo differentiatedifof interest of the crown.
See too: Slave trafficking - activity that brought Africans to be enslaved in Brazil
Appetizer
→ Main features
Since the Portuguese landing in Brazil in 1500, the Crown has organized tickets for explore the brazilian hinterland. However, the expeditions did not go that far from the coast due to lack of knowledge of the region and fear of attacks by indigenous tribes. In the 17th century, the andentries declined and the flags that left São Paulo gained strength.
→ Participants of entries
Americo Vespucci, in 1504, was the first to organize entry into the Brazilian hinterland from Cabo Frio. Martim Afonso de Sousa organized two entries, one from Guanabara, and the other from São Vicente. The installation of General Government in Brazil the number of expeditions that left the coast towards the interior increased, reaching the interior of Bahia and Minas Gerais.
→ Examples of entries
Examples of entries are:
In 1554, the Portuguese, allied Indians and Jesuit priests organized an expedition that resulted in the formation of the São Paulo de Piratininga village.
In 1518, captain Belchior Dias Moreira headed the entrance that went to Sergipe in search of precious metals, but without success.
Flags
![The City of Goiás, formerly Vila Boa, was founded by Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva, during the gold exploration in the region. [1]](/f/6db02c5b77404434d0e7e1759141e36a.jpg)
→ Main characteristics of the banners
The flags were expeditions that leavesram da çapitania of São Paulo towards the Brazilian hinterland. Bandeirantes were the first to find gold on the banks of rivers in Minas Gerais. These expeditions were aimed, in addition to the search for gold, capture Indians to work in the São Paulo plantations.
→ Flag participants
Unlike the entries, which were organized and financed by the Portuguese Crown, the flags were private expeditions. Some participants stood out in these expeditions:
Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva: known as Anhanguera (in Tupi-Guarani it means Old Devil) was the pioneer who led the expedition towards the region of Goiás. With the discovery of gold, Bartolomeu founded Vila Boa de Goiás. The story of his encounter with the Indians who inhabited the region is famous. Taking a basin and filling it with cachaça, Bartolomeu set it on fire, threatening the Indians that if they didn't show where the gold was, he would set fire to the waters of the rivers in the region.
Cat Borba: participated in the expeditions towards the mine region. He participated in the War of Emboabas, armed conflict involving explorers and outsiders for the control of mines.
![Statue of Borba Gato in São Paulo.[2]](/f/cc2915324422455cbd4018ebd7efa9c3.jpg)
→ Types of flags
arrest flags: they entered the sertão to imprison Indians and take them to São Paulo to work as slaves.
Prospecting flags: sought to find and exploit precious metals.
Contract Flags: they persecuted the escaped slaves and destroyed their quilombos.
Read more: Quilombo dos Palmares – the largest quilombo in Brazil during the colonial period
→ Examples of flags
The flags organized by Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva became famous because discovered gold in regions farther from the of Minas, in Goiás and Mato Grosso. These expeditions were also responsible for the discovery of rivers hitherto unknown by the settlers, such as the Araguaia river, which, later on, stood out for the transport of goods and people.
Summary about entries and flags
The entries and flags were expeditions that collaborated in the occupation and exploration of the interior of Brazil.
Bandeirantes expeditions were responsible for the discovery of precious metals in the region of Minas.
Three types of flags: prospecting, imprisonment and contract.
solved exercises
Question 1 - The entries and flags were expeditions that entered the Brazilian hinterland in search of:
A) Precious metals and Indians for slave labor.
B) revenge against the Dutch invasion.
C) found cities in the interior of Brazil, attracting people to these regions.
D) catechize the Indians after the expulsion of the Jesuits.
Resolution
Alternative A. The expeditions known as entrances and flags entered the interior in search of precious metals and Indians to work as slaves. These expeditions collaborated in the occupation of the interior of Brazil.
Question 2 - About the contract flags, it can be said that:
A) they were expeditions towards the North of Brazil, to explore the drugs of the sertão.
B) chased slaves who fled the plantations and destroyed the quilombos.
C) reinforced, on the Brazilian coast, security against foreign invasions.
D) increased the Army contingent in the fight against Paraguay.
Resolution
Alternative B. The contract flags were expeditions that chased runaway slaves. In addition, they were responsible for the destruction of quilombos, places where runaway slaves gathered to protect themselves and survive after their escape.
Image credits
[1] Eugenio Hansen, SFO / commons
[2] Geogast / commons
By Carlos César Higa
History teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiab/entradas-bandeiras.htm