Daniel (de Viana)

Leader of a quilombola revolt in Maranhão in the nineteenth century, Daniel Antônio Araújo was around 30 years old when he fled Virgílio de Araújo’s farm and settled in São Benedito do Céu, in the municipality of Viana. In 1867, he organized the invasion of the Santa Bárbara farm and then that of the Vila Nova de Anadia. In a letter sent to the police authorities, the rebels claimed to defend “the freedom of the enslaved (...) without harming anyone,” but justified the use of weapons. The revolt was immediately repressed: 31 enslaved men and two free Black men were convicted of the “crime of insurrection.” Daniel was sentenced to life in prison.