“Confiados na justiça da sua causa, sabedoria, e incansável zelo a prol da Província”

o Conselho Geral de Minas Gerais como espaço de participação dos cidadãos (1828-1834)

Abstract

In this article, we intend to analyze a corpus of petitions presented to the
General Council of the province of Minas Gerais between 1828 and
1834. Our goals will be, firstly, to characterize and explain the assessments
conveyed by the petitioners about their society. To accomplish it,
we read such discourses through a set of social strategies and rhetorical
devices that were instrumental in their uses. Secondly, we will focus on
the role played by the General Council in Minas Gerais, with special
emphasis on the implications of the petitioner’s movement in the dynamics
of the institution in its task of proposing, deliberating and discussing
the province’s affairs.