Minas Gerais court archives reveal historical struggles for freedom

The Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG) has unveiled historical documents from its Permanent Archive that detail the lives and resistance of enslaved people in Brazil. The collection, located in Contagem, includes approximately 600,000 historical processes, such as manumission letters (cartas de alforria) and auction records.

The documents provide insight into how enslaved individuals utilized the judicial system to defend their liberty. In one notable instance, a group of people facing a court-ordered auction successfully prevented their sale by presenting previously granted manumission letters to the court. These records highlight both the institutionalized violence of the era and the active strategies employed by Black populations to secure their rights.