Jose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva and the French Revolution

José Bonifácio was the source who gave the orientation, the form, the doctrine, the guidance, the intellect, and strategy, the combination of which resulted in the liberty and unity of the new Brazilian nation. Without José Bonifácio the country Brazil in its current form would not exist today.

Through Jose Bonifacio, French culture and philosophy had a major impact in Brazilian history. The greatest French influence on Brazilian culture came as a result of the French Revolution, when José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva was studying in Paris at the Royal School of Mines in the years 1790 - 1792. During that period he was studying under many world famous scientists of the time, including Vauquelin, Antonio Lourenço Jussie, Jean-Antoine Chaptal, Antoine François Fourcroy and Antoine Laurent Lavoisier.

José Bonifácio got to know Lavoisier well because both of them were interested in geology. He also had a personal friendship with Vauquelin, Fourcroy and Chaptal and through them he met their good friend Maximilien Robespierre.

These men had one thing in common: they were members of one of the most influential political clubs of the French Revolution – the Club Breton ; later their members become known as the Jacobins. The Jacobin Club counted among its early members Mirabeau, Abbé Sieyès, Barnave, Pétion, the Duc d'Aiguillon and Robespierre. José Bonifácio had direct exposure during this period to the best intellectual minds of that time that were having a major impact on the events of the French Revolution.

He traveled a lot around Europe during 1793 - 1800, but his favorite place was Paris and he stopped in Paris every time he had the chance. This decade (1790 -1800) is the period that had the major influence on the formation of his intellectual, cultural, scientific, and political thoughts that helped him in the fulfillment of his destiny as a great statesman.

Before Jose Bonifacio arrived in Brazil in 1819 to become the architect of Brazilian independence he already had accomplished more than most people ever will accomplish on their entire lives.

He returned to Brazil in 1819 to retire at age 56. He had accomplished a lot up to that point. He was a world-class scientist recognized in all major scientific centers of Europe of the time. He had had many top positions and responsibilities in the Portuguese government in Portugal. Among his many positions, in May 1801 he was appointed General Superintendent of Mines and Metals of the Kingdom and member of the Tribunal of Mines. He was responsible for the mint of the kingdom plus the mines and forests of the Portuguese empire.

The Brazilian nation has reason to be proud of its intellectual roots; since its roots are connected to the French Revolution, and its intellectual minds. France was the major superpower in the world during that period of time (1750-1815), and Paris was the major artistic, scientific, and intellectual center of that time. The French Revolution had a major impact on world history, since that was the revolution that changed the world.

It is a fact that the French had a major influence on the formation of the intellectual, cultural, scientific, and political thoughts of Jose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva.

Jose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva used to go almost on a daily basis to see first hand the Constitutional Debate in Paris during the period 1790 – 1791 at the Constituent Assembly. And he participated of the meetings at the Jacobin Club, and he became friends with the most influential thinkers of the French Revolution. He became a friends with people such as Robespierre, Condorcet, Abbe Sieyes, and the Comte de Mirabeau among others.

Jose Bonifacio knew very well and had first hand experience of the entire process and everything that was covered for the French to arrive at the final Constitution - the document that they finally adopted.

In 1823, the Andrada brothers (José Bonifácio, Martim Francisco and Antônio Carlos), with their leadership, had a major impact on the Constituent Assembly. They guided the proceedings of the process of framing the first Brazilian Constitution. This Constitution was effective December 13, 1823. They used as a model the French Constitution of 1816 which is also referred to as the "Lamartine Constitution".

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