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Lucia Maria Bastos Pereira das Neves The forgotten in the independence process: a history to be made

Almanack, Guarulhos, n. 25, ef00220, 2020 http://doi.org/10.1590/2236-463325ef00220

of those women from Paraíba who published in the Sentinela da Liberdade na Guarita de Pernambuco newspaper, that year, by the authorship of Cipriano Barata and reproduced in another periodical in Rio de Janeiro. The first one was signed by Leocádia de Melo Moniz, written in July, who thanked the writers who taught how to use the national law, excommunicating ‘hunchbackism’ and despotism^[1]. Two more letters were published in this journal. Despite not claiming the right to vote or political participation, it appears from these missives that these women placed themselves in equality with men due to their patriotism and struggle for freedom^[2]. In addition, the letters also revealed that these ladies followed the political discussions of the time, given that lady Leocádia wished to become a subscriber of the pamphlets written by Cipriano Barata who called these ladies as “valuable spartans from Paraíba”. It must be noted that Cipriano Barata was considered a radical liberal who, elected deputy to the Constituent Assembly of 1823 by Bahia, refused to participate, preferring to use the press to defend his ideas^[3].

Finally, it is worth remembering the already mentioned Maria Bárbara Garcez Pinto, lady of the Aramaré mill, in Bahia. Born in Portugal, there she married the Brazilian Luís Paulino d’Oliveira Pinto da França, a deputy for the province of Bahia in the Courts of Lisbon. Here, they raised a family. Her performance was remarkable throughout the Independence wars, when her husband, accused of favoring the Portuguese, remained in Portugal after the separation from Brazil. She was known in ‘Recôncavo’, where she had her home, as a severe and energetic woman. Through intense correspondence with her husband, there is the possibility to investigate some points considered to be consecrated regarding the Independence of Brazil. In her letters, there are personal issues, such as the

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1. SENTINELA DA LIBERDADE NA GUARITA DE PERNAMBUCO. Recife, nº 32, 23 de julho de 1823.
2. Ibidem, n. 39, 19 ago. 1823; Ibidem, n. 50, 24 set. 1823.
3. Ibidem, n. 32, 23 jul. 1823. Data on Leocádia de Melo Moniz could not be found yet. For a study of Cipriano Barata, cf. BARATA, Cipriano Sentinela da liberdade e outros escritos. Org. e ed. Marco Morel. São Paulo: Edusp, 2008.