THOMAS JEFFERSON x JOS? BONIF?CIO DE ANDRADA

José Bonifácio de Andrada and Thomas Jefferson are fundamental characters in the History of Brazil and of the USA.

The American spoke in freedom and happiness, but just for the white people. After all Thomas Jefferson had 150 slaves and it fought the whole life to preserve the slavery in the USA. The Brazilian never had slaves, he detested the slavery and it guided the Brazilian Deputies in the Portuguese Constituent Assembly (that happened a little before the independence of Brazil) to defend the end of the slave regime. José Bonifácio wrote that Brazil would be a worthy and happy country when black slaves and mulattos went free and enterprising citizens.

José Bonifácio and Jefferson were in France during the French Revolution. The american was seduced by the violence and she wrote that the freedom should be washed with blood periodically. The brazilian was aghast with the unnecessary violence and if it turned the Patriarch of the independence of Brazil when getting to convince the D. Pedro to commit with the independence becoming the new emperor avoiding a civil war in Brazil. As Minister of the new Emperor, José Bonifácio created the main institutions that maintained the integrity of the Brazilian territory after the independence of Portugal. It was also responsible for the second Brazilian emperor's education.

It seems Jefferson had a troubled relationship with the concept of slavery as can be seen below:

http://www.monticello.org/site/plantation-and-slavery/thomas-jefferson-and-slavery

But Jefferson had 150 slaves. He never have problem with that. Jose Bonifacio never had slaves and this is a fact also.

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Bonifácio_de_Andrada_e_Silva

The Brazilian respected the Aristotle's beginning of non contradiction. The American no.

Two great men of the century XVIII/XIX. But the Brazilian was better than the American in several aspects.