As Américas do General

um estudo da construção de uma memória histórica por José Ignacio de Abreu e Lima na missiva para José António Páez, 1868

Abstract

This article aims to analyze a letter from José Ignacio de Abreu e Lima (1794-1869) to the Venezuelan José António Páez (1790-1873), which was published in O Novo Mundo, a monthly periodical launched in the United States by José Carlos Rodrigues (1844-1923) in April 1873. Our exploration begins with a fundamental question: how does Abreu e Lima, in this 1868 letter, construct his identity as a historical figure and engage in a project of self-memory? To address this inquiry, we delve into how Abreu e Lima developed a memory project by outlining his journey in three distinct phases: (i) during the Latin American wars of independence in the 1820s and 1830s; (ii) during the regency period, when he resided in Rio de Janeiro following a stint in Philadelphia; and finally, (iii) in Recife during the 1840s, a time of revolutionary fervor that climaxed in the Praieira Insurrection. The study reveals that Abreu e Lima crafted his memoir by purposefully embracing his life story as that of a dedicated Bolivarian, contextualizing his own experiences, and envisioning what he perceived as the country's political trajectory and, ultimately, his own.