16/01/2025
He was born in 1828 and was forced to father about 249 children with different women.
A breeding slave who had more than 200 children. He was picked by his slave master because he was strong, tall, powerful, and had excellent genetic traits. But, that didn’t stop him from fighting for his freedom. Fighting for what he thought was right.
He led slave revolts, rebelled against plantation owners, and did his best to educate some of his children on how to survive. This is the story of a legendary man who has seen it all.
For 350 years, slavery was the core of Brazil’s economy. About 40% of the 10 million enslaved Africans brought to the New World were taken to Brazil. For centuries, every African who came here became as a slave.
Slaves were so crucial to the economy that they did all the work. Everything. While the white Brazilians did nothing.
This country was also the last in the Americas to abolish slavery. When the government abolished the international slave trade in the country, in 1850, the demand for black labor was still going strong. If enslaved women didn’t bear enough children to replace old and dying workers, the Brazilian economy would have collapsed. The slave society would have crumbled.
To get more slaves, enslaved Africans were forced to procreate. This slave breeding system worked as a factory. Enslaved Africans gave birth to more babies, who would be born as slaves. So, they could work on plantations or any job as free labor. Sometimes, slave breeders were used; at other times, slave owners would force women to make more slaves.
One such breeding slave was Roque José Florêncio, also known as Pata Seca.
He was born in 1828 and was forced to father about 249 children with different women.
This made him a direct ancestor to about 30% of the population of Santa Eudóxia, São Carlos.
