THE MILITARY RECRUITMENT AND SUBVERSION IN THE PROVINCE OF SÃO PAULO (1875-1889)

Abstract

Military recruitment during the Imperial period had as its characteristic to be forced and irregular, being destined to a certain poor part of the population (beggars, ex-slaves, criminals, etc.) who did not have some profession or very determined craft. With the creation of Law 2556 of September 26, 1874, it was established that military recruitment for the Army and Navy would be based on the universal lottery. The Draw Act of 1874 provided that any freed or freed man, between the ages of 19 and 30, would be available to serve for a minimum period of six years. With this, the new Law radically altered the logic of recruitment until then, thus generating an intense popular reaction in several localities of the Empire.