Since its declaration of independence on September 22, 1822, the culturally and ecologically diverse country of Brazil has an early history that truly sets it apart from  other Latin American countries. At the time of its independence, Brazil was one of a handful of South American countries to gain freedom from its mother country with little bloodshed. After a peaceful transition to independence, Brazil's earliest government consisted of a monarchy, the first and only to exist in the Western Hemisphere. These early actions of the then-Empire of Brazil would help to mold its future for decades to come.

One could argue that Brazil's battle for independence began in 1789, with the Minas Conspiracy, which involved outstanding society figures and military officers. This failed revolt was a result of a combination of external and internal origins, as well as an event that would become known as one of the earliest forms of Brazilian nationalism. The revolt's most outstanding external cause was the independence of the thirteen English colonies, which greatly impressed Brazilian intellectuals of the time, while the most prominent internal cause was the additional tax on gold, called derrama. When this rebellion failed, the sole nonaristocratic member of the party, a military man named Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, became the scapegoat. He was tried and hanged in 1793, thus becoming a martyr for Brazilian independence.

Fast forward to 1807, when the Portuguese royalty fled from Lisbon to Brazil in order to escape Napoleon's approaching forces. With the shift in the residence of the royalty also carne a shift in the transfer of the empire's capital from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. From 1808 to 1821, Portugal' s prince regent (and later King) John VI ruled all of Portugal' s colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Americas from his throne in Rio de Janeiro. In 1815, John VI raised Brazil to the rank of kingdom, placing it on an equal level with Portugal and raising Brazilian national pride at the same time. The presence of the throne and court in the new kingdom also brought together the Portuguese and Brazilian leaders, which may have eased both nations into thoughts of Brazilian independence. Following a revolution led by the Portuguese army in 1820 that was designed to bring about a constitutional government, King John VI agreed to rule as constitutional monarch from Portugal and left for Lisbon in 1821. His son, Pedro, remained in Brazil to rule as prince regent.

During King John VI' s reign from Brazil from 1808 to 1821, other Latin American countries had been in revolt for their freedom from Spain. Rebellions in Venezuela, Paraguay, Chile, and Mexico had bolstered thoughts of an independence movement in Brazil. A more aggressive Portuguese Parliament (Cortes) contributed to Brazilian demands for independence by attempting to restore Brazil back to colonial status. Open hostility toward the Brazilian representatives by the Portuguese members of Cortes continued to drive a wedge between the two kingdoms.

As opposed to fighting such an independence movement, Pedro and his counselors made the decision to take charge of this motion for freedom. After receiving notice that undermined his authority in Brazil, Pedro declared the country's independence on September 22, 1822. With this, Brazil became one of the few South American countries to make a diplomatic conversion to political independence.

Pedro I (as he had become the first of two Brazilian emperors) then hired the British ex-admiral Lord Thomas Cochrane to aid him enforce his position in Brazil. After a few victorious battles with a small, hired army, Cochrane defeated a diminutive Portuguese fleet and suppressed separatist uprisings on the coast and Brazil maintained its unity after declaring its independence. A treaty signed by Portugal and Britain on August 29, 1825 recognized the independence of Brazil.

After Brazil declared its independence and became the Empire of Brazil, it was ruled by two emperors and holds the title of the first and last country in the Westem Hemisphere to be ruled under a monarchy. These emperors ruled from 1822 to 1889, the first emperor being Pedro I and the second being his son, Pedro 11. Each ruler contributed significantly to the freedom and growth of Brazil, beginning with the rule of Pedro I from 1822 to 1831.

The father of Brazilian Empire, Pedro I ruled for the first nine years of Brazil' s independence from Portugal. In this time frame, he helped Brazil gain its independence from Portugal and create a stable government. Even though the emperor had lived in Portugal since the age of ten, he was still Portuguese which left the gates of distrust open in the eyes of many Brazilians. Also, due to Pedro's continued involvement in Portuguese affairs after Brazil' s independence made many Brazilians suspicious of him, regardless of the fact that he had abdicated the Portuguese throne in 1826. Some members of the Brazilian aristocracy disapproved of the constitution Pedro I had drawn up and set into action in 1824; others protested the Cisplatine War (1825-1828), which erupted from a long-standing struggle with Argentina, which ended in Brazilian military defeat. Looking at widespread disapproval of his rule, Pedro I left the Brazilian throne for Portugal in 1831.

When Pedro I left for Portugal, his heir Pedro II was a mere four years old. The future emperor grew up a virtual orphan in Brazil, waiting for his eighteenth birthday so he could take the throne. In the time before Pedro II's coronation Parliament selected regents that the country would be ruled by. The Brazilians represented themselves through two political parties, the Conservatives (who looked back to more traditional Portuguese values for guidance) and the Liberals (who wanted a country more like England, France, and America.) However, circumstances at the time drove the Brazilian government to ignore the constitution and coronate young Pedro II in 1840, at a mere thirteen years old. The time between 1840 and 1889 is known as the Second Reign.

The 1840s and 1850s were an era of change in Brazilian economics. Coffee cultivation thrived and Brazil soon became the world's top exporter, a title it still holds today. Vulcanization caused a surge of financial growth in frontier towns of the rainforest, where rubber was harvested off the native trees. However, cultivating these products depended on slaves, of which Brazil had absorbed millions since the 16^th century. When slavery was abolished in 1888 and Brazilian landowners had to rely on European immigrants to cultivate the coffee fields, Pedro II lost much support from farmers.

In the mid-19^th century, Brazil operated under a stable government, as opposed to the instability and upheaval of other South American countries at the time. Emperor Pedro II acted as the moderator between the Liberal and Conservative parties, which shared power with each other. Despite the stability of this system, some elements of Brazil' s society were not pleased with this arrangement of powers. Starting in the 1870s and moving through the 1880s, a republican movement arose that asserted the end of the monarchy and the birth of a republican state similar to the United States.

Republicanism had great supporters in the Brazilian army. This support slowly spread when Pedro 11 had involved the country in the long and costly War of the Triple Alliance, which lasted from 1864 to 1870. Despite the great difference in resources, Paraguay managed to keep Brazil' s invading forces at bay for years. This defeat shone light upon the weakness of Brazil' s military forces and many military officers felt that Brazil may be better off without a monarch.

Support from the clergy, military, and the common landowner had worn away from the emperor. A group of conspirators, aided by high-level army officers initiated a coup d'etat on November 15, 1889. Finding himself with little support, Pedro II stepped down from the throne of emperor and chose exile to Portugal and France over an armed resistance in his country. In this way the Brazilian Empire died but from its ashes rose Brazil's first republic, ruled by its people, for its people.

Brazil has been unique from its foundation as a colony to its peaceful transition to independence to its first form of government, and these events were only in its early years. Throughout its history, Brazil has done much more to make it a truly distinctive country, not only in South America but the entire world. jo Brasil vivo!

Bibliographv

Brazilian Dec1aration of Independence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_War_of_Independence
Latin American Independence http://encarta.msn.com/media 461545298/Latin_American_Independence.html
South American wars of independence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_American_Wars_of_Independence#Spanish_colonies
United States and Brazil : The Movement for Independence/ Brasil e Estados Unidos: O Movimento pela Indência http://international.loc.gov/intldl/brhtml/br-1/1>br-1-4.html#track1
Brazilian War of Independence 1821-1825 http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/bravo/braziI1821b.htm
United States and Brazil : The Minas Conspiracy for Independence/ Brasil e Estados Unidos: A Inconfidência Mineira http://international.loc.gov/intldl/brhtml/br-1/br-]-4-2.html
Brazilian Empire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_of_Brazil#lnternational_recognition
Brazil http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342/Brazil.html