“Memorial” of Manoel Luis da Veiga to the Lisbon Cortes (1821): constitutionalism and forms of government in Brazil

Abstract

Based on the Memorial drafted and forwarded to the “Cortes” of Lisbon in 1821 by Manoel Luís da Veiga – publicist and owner of a rope factory in Pernambuco – we discuss constitutional arrangements and forms of Government in Brazil on the eve of its Independence. Constitutionalism was at the center of political discussions at that time, and within the plural and changing forms of Portuguese Empire governments it opened a wide field of experimentation. We also discuss multiple spaces in which this debate has turned into an intense game of political forces. Finally, we provide a transcription of Veiga’s Memorial, something not done until now.