Andrada Machado

Antônio Carlos Ribeiro de Andrada Machado e Silva (1 November 1773 – 5 December 1845) was a Brazilian judge (juiz de fora), appellate judge (desembargador) and politician. At the time of Brazilian Independence, he often used the pseudonym "Philagiosetero" in his newspaper articles. He adopted the parliamentary name of "Andrada Machado".

A brother of José Bonifácio and Martim Francisco, he was known for the scathingness of his speech against despotism and for his involvement in the Pernambuco Revolt, in addition to his extensive involvement and role during the first Constituent Assembly of 1823 that was tasked with drafting Brazil's first constitution.

Biography

Early life and education It is possible to say that, of the three Andrada brothers, José Bonifácio, Martim Francisco and Antônio Carlos, the latter received the least attention from modern historiography. While the stories of José Bonifácio and Martim Francisco are well documented, the life, career and trajectory of Antônio Carlos Ribeiro de Andrada Machado e Silva are quite nebulous.

Antônio Carlos was born in Santos in 1773, his parents were Maria Bárbara da Silva and Bonifácio José Ribeiro de Andrada. His father had the second largest fortune in Santos, being an employee of the Portuguese Crown and also a merchant. He received primary education from his own family, including his uncles who were priests, due to the lack of good quality primary schools in Santos. After that, he moved to São Paulo where he would attend classes in philosophy, grammar and rhetoric as a preparatory education for higher education. His arrival in the metropolis coincided with "the period of opening to new ideas due to the initiatives of the Marquis of Pombal".

In 1815, Antônio Carlos ended up being transferred to Pernambuco to occupy the position of ombudsman. Two years later, in 1817, he became involved in the Pernambuco Revolt. While many planters in Pernambuco had monopolistic mercantile practices, heavy taxes were still levied on exportable goods and goods for domestic consumption, such as food. This resulted in Pernambuco's dissatisfaction with the government in Rio de Janeiro, which began to question the centralization of government in Rio. Antônio Carlos' involvement with the movement resulted in his imprisonment for four years. The Court reacted violently against the members of the Pernambuco Revolut, promoting strong repression that ended up causing the arrest and conviction of hundreds of people.

Brazilian independence In 1821, his brother, José Bonifácio, prepared the text Memories and Notes of the Provisional Government for the Deputies of the Province of São Paulo (1821), a work to guide the deputies from São Paulo in their work at the Constituent Courts of Lisbon. The deputies elected for São Paulo had Antônio Carlos among its six members. The text that guided their work had no separatist intention, in fact, it believed in the indissolubility of the relationship between Brazil and Portugal, ensuring equality of representation between the general and ordinary courts. The text also had liberal principles, trying to preserve privileges and rights conquered by Brazil since the transfer of the Portuguese court in 1808.

Although always faithful to liberalism, Antônio Carlos became increasingly pragmatic and less doctrinaire, preferring to choose to recognize the limits of his adaptation:

Andrada Machado spoke at several different sessions, proposing the amendment of three articles, which were all approved by the vast majority:

Antônio Carlos was also the main editor of the draft bill of the Constitution presented to the other deputies. However, the constitutional process in which he participated was not successful, as it was not approved by emperor Pedro I, since it was considered too adjacent to liberal ideas. The Assembly was then dissolved on account of this case.

Later life and death For his ideas to continue to advance, Antônio Carlos joined his brothers José Bonifácio and Martim Francisco to create the periodical O Tamoyo in 1823. In this periodical the Andrada brothers showed their opposition to the government of Pedro I. After being exiled with his brothers, Antônio Carlos returned to Brazil in 1828. In 1832 he was appointed, in London, the plenipotentiary minister of Brazil, but ended up refusing the position. In 1833 he returned to Europe and only returned to Brazil in 1838, when he was elected general deputy in São Paulo from 1838 to 1842.

During this time he led the movement that called for the declaration of Pedro II's majority by the Senate. On 21 July 1840 he presented a law project in the Chamber of Deputies that declared the Emperor "an adult since now", which resulted in a political crisis and later the so-called "majority coup". His move resulted in the young emperor Pedro II taking office on July 23, putting an end to the regency period.

Antônio Carlos became Minister of the Empire Affairs, an office akin to that of prime minister, in the so-called "ministry of majority" in 1840. He was later re-elected general deputy. He received the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Cross for the services he performed during his life in relation to the Luso-Brazilian Empire that became the Empire of Brazil. His political life continued until 1845, when he died while in the position of Senator for Pernambuco.