Pernambuco (PB)

History
Prior to European colonization, the territory of Pernambuco was inhabited by Indigenous peoples of the Tupi-Guarani group, including the Potiguara and Caeté peoples. The area was subsequently colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century as it became the source of brazilwood. Later, the region became Europe’s main supplier of sugar as the Portuguese colonists established sugar and cotton plantations across their new possessions. These plantations were at first worked by indigenous slaves but, facing a labor shortage and rapid depopulation, they were replaced by African slaves.

Dutch conquest
In the aftermath of the beginning of the personal union between Spain and Portugal and in accordance with the Groot Desseyn the Dutch Republic and its West India Company (GWC) attempted to take over the Iberian possessions in the Americas. After a first unsuccessful attempt in 1624, the Dutch managed to occupy Recife in 1630 and gradually occupied ever more territory over the next seven years.

In 1637 the GWC granted control over the new colony of "New Holland" to John Maurice of Nassau, a capable administrator who would secure their colonial rule over the territory and herald an age of economic, political, and cultural prosperity thanks to his popularity among both Portuguese and Dutch subjects as well as his patronage of arts. New Holland, which was ethnically divided between the newly arrived Dutch and the established Portuguese, would gain a new administration system that would allow for the peaceful coexistence of both peoples. Dutch policies of religious freedom allowed for the Jewish community to prosper and to erect the first synagogue in the Americas.

The Netherlands’ rule over its new colony was solidified when the Dutch defeated a large-scale revolt in 1645 and a full invasion in 1648, despite the latter attempt’s success in retaking some territory in Maranhão. The animosity between the Republic and Portugal would only be resolved when the two countries signed the Treaty of the Hague in 1661, recognizing Dutch rule over Brazil in exchange for a compensation of losses and a border treaty. In the late 17th century the discovery of gold in Portuguese Brazil would change their focus from retaking the lost territories to exploiting the new resources in the south of the colony, leading to a definitive peace between the Dutch and the Portuguese.

West India Company rule
The 250 years of GWC rule over New Holland were dominated by the "boom and bust" patterns of the sugar and cotton markets. These cash crops were grown the massive plantations using slave labor. While most of the plantations were owned by the West India Company, some private individuals also managed to establish themselves as a landed aristocracy. The operation of the plantations and the trade with the Dutch metropole necessitated an influx of supervisors, administrators, traders, bankers, and other smaller jobs that attracted many Europeans of Dutch, Huguenot, Flemish, and German descent to migrate to the colony. The growth of plantations and influx of Europeans resulted in the displacement or extermination of indigenous peoples and the importation of hundreds of thousands of African slaves. Throughout the period of Dutch rule, many slaves escaped the plantations and settled inland in self-governing quilombos.

The colonial society of Pernambuco was characterized by a hierarchy where Dutch settlers where located at the top, the growing class of Mesties, free people of color that became an important social and ethnic class during the late 18th century. In this colonial society, wealth often mattered as much as race as some mixed-race people managed to attain leading positions in colonial society. African slaves and Amerindians were located at the bottom of this pyramid.

The stability of Dutch rule ended with the establishment of the revolutionary Batavian Republic, a sister republic of France, in 1795 as the West India Company was nationalized by the new government in 1796 resulting in its ultimate dissolution in 1798 as Pernambuco became a government-run colony. The advent of a new liberal regime in the metropole divided locals as some were supportive while others yearned for a return to the old ways. These debates were put to an end when British troops occupied the colony in 1797 due to their fears of a French takeover.

British occupation and return to Dutch rule
The British occupation lasted for 20 years, except for a brief return to Dutch rule in 1802–1804 before the British recaptured the colony until 1814. The period of British occupation was a formative era for the Pernambucan national identity as the colony’s economy improved thanks to the re-orientation of trade towards the more lucrative British market and the privatization of the government’s land, thus creating a new class of landowners that were attached to their economic rights. In addition, the lack of representation of the population in the Dutch parliament and the ideas of the Enlightenment resulted in calls for self-governance in the colony.

The return of Dutch rule proved to be unpopular as, despite economic reforms that opened Pernambuco to foreign commerce, the local population remained unrepresented from national politics as self-governance was restricted to local councils. The relationship between the Netherlands and its colony continued to be strenuous as the authorities increasingly cracked down on pro-independence movements, causing further outrage and demands for self-government.

Independence
The relatively peaceful era of Dutch rule ended in 1831 when the colonial government began to impose new taxes in order to fund the war effort against the Belgian rebels. This proved to be the last straw for the Pernambucans as the locals rebelled against the government on August 18, 1831. The local militias rapidly took over the major cities and various independentist figures called for the election of a Constituent Assembly. The Dutch government did not intervene nor recognize the revolt as they were dissuaded by the international support that the rebellion had received from France, the United States and Brazil. The Constituent Assembly would proclaim the independence of the Pernambucan Republic on December 5, 1831, which would be recognized by the Netherlands with the Treaty of London in 1839.

In 1833, the Constituent Assembly would adopt a constitution that established a centralized presidential regime inspired by the United States and the Assembly’s liberal ideals. Cornelius Joubert was elected as the country’s first president in 1833.

Political instability
In the aftermath of its independence Pernambuco’s political scene became polarized around the liberal Patriot Party and the Conservative Party. The two parties represented opposite sides of Pernambucan society as the Patriots were supported by the urban middle class, small farmers, Catholics, and Jews while the Conservatives’ popularity was rooted in the landowning class and Protestant Church members. While both parties agreed on economic policy, the issues of democracy and religious freedom deeply divided the young nation’s political discourse.