Nearly half of all West African slaves transported across the Atlantic ended up in Brazil, making slavery the defining institution of its history, even more so than in the United States. This reality profoundly shaped its demographics and social fabric.
In 1807, facing Napoleon's invasion, the entire Portuguese royal family and political elite fled to Rio de Janeiro. This was the first time in history an empire was governed not from its European capital but from a colony in the Western Hemisphere.
In a rare display of monarchical creativity, Dom Pedro I, the first emperor of Brazil, personally composed the music for the new nation's "Hymn of Independence." While likely aided by court musicians, historians credit him with the composition.
Before returning to Portugal, King João VI advised his son Pedro to lead Brazil's independence movement if it seemed inevitable. This farsighted political move was designed to ensure the breakaway territory would remain under the control of the royal family.
In March 1831, widespread unrest in Rio de Janeiro culminated in an event known as the "Night of Bottles." This unusually long five-day riot, characterized by protesters throwing bottles, eroded the emperor's authority and forced him to abdicate.
Louis Moreau Gottschalk, an American pianist who found fame in Brazil, was exiled from the U.S. in 1865 over an alleged affair. He maintained his innocence, bizarrely claiming he was framed by a business rival of his preferred piano brand, Chickering and Sons.
The extreme violence and lack of a significant abolitionist movement in Brazil resulted in a life expectancy of just 25 years for enslaved people, compared to 35 in the United States. This grim statistic starkly illustrates the difference in the systems' brutality.
The profound instability and societal fractures caused by slavery made it impossible for Brazilians to agree on a collective national story. As a result, their national anthem existed as only a musical tune for over 40 years, lacking any official unifying words.
Contrary to the popular belief that it symbolizes gold, the yellow diamond on Brazil's flag represents the House of Habsburg, the family of Empress Maria Leopoldina, wife of Emperor Pedro I. The green represents Pedro's own House of Braganza.
The Brazilian national anthem has been co-opted by opposing political movements. In the 1990s, poor rural workers sang it to prevent police violence during protests. Decades later, supporters of right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro sang it during MAGA-style uprisings.
During the 1980s military dictatorship, which mandated a rigid orchestration for the national anthem, singer Fafá de Belém broke the law at mass pro-democracy rallies. Her slow, mournful, and dramatic performances became an emblematic sound of the protest movement.