It seems
advisable to tell the other half, which took place in 1889, sixty-seven
years after the first revolution. The first made Brazil an independent
empire. The second made it a republic, and brought it into line with the
republican nations of America. And in connection therewith a peculiar fate
attended the establishment of monarchy in Brazil. We have seen how John,
the first emperor, "left his country for the country's good." The same was
the case with his two successors, Pedro I. and Pedro II.
Pedro I. took the throne with loud-mouthed declarations of his aspirations
for liberty. He was going to be a second Washington. But it was all empty
talk, the outpourings of a weak brain, a mere dramatic posing, to which he
was given. His ardor for liberty soon cooled, and it was not long before
he was treating the people like a despot. The constitution promised was
not given until it was fairly forced from him, and then it proved to be a
worthless document, made only to be disregarded. A congress was called
into being, but the emperor wished to confine its functions to the
increase of the taxes, and matters went on from bad to worse until by 1831
the indignation of the people grew intense.
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