Manoel Pinto da Fonseca (10 October 180420 October 1855) was a 19th-century businessman described as "the most notorious slave dealer in all Brazil". His business was a "highly organized mercantile house capable of operating on four continents" and may have had up to 50 employees.
[ pages 13 (deported), 27 ("highly organized")]
Biography
Da Fonseca was born in the Porto region of Portugal in 1804.
He entered the business around 1837 in company with his brothers.
According to a British report based on a declaration by Da Fonseca, his profits in 1844 were £150,000.
He trafficked enslaved people from Angola and the coast near the Congo River.
In 1844 or 1845, Da Fonseca bought the slaving brig
''Uncas'' from Cuban shippers who had in turn bought it from American slave trader
William H. Williams
William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conqu ...
of Washington, D.C. ''
Porpoise
Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals ...
'' and
''Kentucky'' were also Da Fonseca's ships.
Da Fonseca's major competitors in Brazil were
José Bernardino de Sá
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
and
Tomás da Costa Ramos Tomás may refer to:
* Tomás (given name)
* Tomás (surname) Tomás is a Spanish and Portuguese surname, equivalent of '' Thomas''.
It may refer to:
* Antonio Tomás (born 1985), professional Spanish footballer
* Belarmino Tomás
Belarmi ...
; all three hired U.S.-flagged ships and American captains and sailors during what was known as the "contraband era".
Da Fonseca was deported to Portugal in 1851.
He died in Paris in 1855.
See also
*
Atlantic slave trade to Brazil
The Atlantic slave trade to Brazil refers to the period of history in which there was a forced migration of Africans to Brazil for the purpose of slavery. It lasted from the mid-sixteenth century until the mid-nineteenth century. During the tra ...
References
Further reading
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{{Brazil-bio-stub
Brazilian businesspeople
1804 births
1855 deaths
People from Rio de Janeiro (state)
People from Porto
Portuguese slave traders
Brazilian slave trade
19th-century slave traders