Colonial Brazil

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/colonial-brazil

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where is Colonial Brazil?Eastern South America, encompassing a vast Atlantic coastline and interior
2. How big is Colonial Brazil?Approximately 8.5 million square kilometers (modern estimate)
3. What is the capital of Colonial Brazil?Initially Salvador (1549-1763), later moved to Rio de Janeiro (1763-1808)
4. What language do people speak in Colonial Brazil?Portuguese (official), with significant influence from Indigenous and African languages
5. What was the first thing people in colonial Brazil traded?The first trade was brazilwood, a red wood used for dye. It was easy to cut and sold to Europeans.
6. Why did Brazil become famous for sugar?Sugar grew on big farms in the northeast. Brazil became the world's top sugar producer because of its warm climate and flat plains.

Viceroyalty: A territory ruled by a viceroy, representing the king or queen.
Latifundia: Large agricultural estates, characteristic of plantation economies.
Chattel Slavery: A system where enslaved people are treated as personal property, bought and sold.
Quilombo: A settlement or community formed by escaped slaves in colonial Brazil.