History of Rio Grande do Norte

[1] Initially the territory of Rio Grande do Norte began to be populated by hunter-gatherer peoples, who would later have left traces that are currently found in the archeological sites of Angicos and Mutamba II.

[4] At the time of Brazil's discovery the territory was inhabited by Tupi people from Paraná and Paraguay who speak the abanheenga language, a dialect with verbal reflections, and by the Tapuias, in the interior of the state.

The result of this expedition was the arrival at Cape São Roque, where, according to historian Luís da Câmara Cascudo, occurred the establishment of Brazil's first landmark.

[9] In the same period, the Portuguese Crown took the decision to send military personnel to carry out expeditions (called Guarda-costas) for the defense of its colony, since the Brazilian coast was being invaded by privateers, mainly from France.

[1] There is a struggle among historians in Rio Grande do Norte to reconstitute this event, since the documents about the foundation history of the capital of the state were destroyed during the Dutch invasion.

[13][5] One of the versions states that Natal was founded after Manuel Mascarenhas Homem appointed Jerônimo de Albuquerque as commander of the fortress, who would then go to Bahia to report on his mission.

[16] Further research has proven that Mascarenhas did not appoint Jerônimo to the position of captain-major of Rio Grande and that he was not present on the date of the city's founding, and therefore cannot be considered the founder of Natal.

Another accepted hypothesis states that Natal was founded by João Rodrigues Colaço, and after the foundation, a mass would have been celebrated in the place that corresponds to the current André de Albuquerque Square.

However, the captain-major decided to abandon the dunes located near the fortress, contributing to the installation of artillery there by his enemies, making the building a target for real attacks.

[19] Dutch rule generated discontent for some of the settlers, mainly due to the harsh regime that was imposed by the West India Company, especially under the administration of Maurice of Nassau.

In 1822, Brazil would finally gain independence from Portuguese rule after three centuries and Rio Grande do Norte would become a province, but the news would take three months to arrive.

[25] On 7 September 1822, Brazil became independent from Portugal and the following year Emperor Pedro I dissolved the Constituent Assembly, which had been formed to draft the first imperial constitution.

This caused an internal issue in Pernambuco, which led to the explosion of the Confederation of the Equator, a movement where imperial troops were sent to the state with support from other provinces, such as Alagoas, Ceará, Paraíba, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte, spreading throughout the region.

[26] In the province of Rio Grande do Norte, the movement was marked by the actions of Tomás de Araújo Pereira, to avoid the occurrence of armed conflicts in the territory.

[28] In Rio Grande do Norte, the first adherence to republican ideas occurred five years before Brazil's independence, in 1817, whose main signatories were farmers, merchants, and sugar mill owners.

To fight for the end of the slave labor regime, an abolitionist movement occurred throughout the country, which, in Rio Grande do Norte, was defended by intellectual groups of young people.

[29] In opposition to this regime, emerged Captain José da Penha Alves de Souza, who was responsible for promoting the first popular campaign in the state.

He even tried to launch the candidacy of a person who did not know Rio Grande do Norte and had no desire to govern it: Lieutenant Leônidas Hermes da Fonseca, son of the president of the Republic at the time.

[36] In the mid-1920s, the economic axis of Rio Grande do Norte, which was restricted only to the coast, moved to the interior, initiating the second oligarchic phase in the state, inaugurated by José Augusto Bezerra de Medeiros, which was only interrupted with the Revolution of 1930.

The Column arrived in Rio Grande do Norte during the government of José Augusto Bezerra de Medeiros, who immediately ordered the reinforcement of security in the state.

[38][39] On 10 June 1927, the most famous cangaceiro of the Northeast region, Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, popularly known as Lampião, arrived in Rio Grande do Norte, entering the state through the town of Luís Gomes.

It is believed that this attack by Lampião was idealized by Massilon Leite Benevides, a cangaceiro from the north of Rio Grande do Sul, who was very familiar with the west of the state.

According to Aglae Lima de Oliveira, the objective of this invasion was "to plunder the installations of the Banco do Brasil, the industry, the commerce, and the residences, in order to obtain a good harvest" and receive an expressive amount of réis, Brazil's currency at the time.

The state government sent Lieutenant Laurentino de Morais to Mossoró, where it was found that the city's police force was very small, with only 22 soldiers; therefore, measures should be taken urgently.

The next day, when Lampião and his gang arrived at Sítio Saco, the cangaceiro received a note offering a total of 400 réis in cash to spare the city of Mossoró.

There, he was part of a movement idealized by the Liberal Alliance, which defended Getúlio Vargas as president and João Pessoa as vice-president, opposition candidates to the government of the time.

[42] On 5 October 1930, Juvenal abandoned Rio Grande do Norte, and a governing junta formed by three people (Luís Tavares Guerreiro, Abelardo Torres da Silva, and Júlio Perouse Pontes), which remained in power for a week, took his place.

[47] During the World War II, the city became even more famous and internationally known after the Americans built a megabase that played a very significant role during the conflict and became known as the Trampoline of Victory, currently located in Parnamirim.

A stronger relationship between the native inhabitants and American military was established, with numerous dances being held, which allowed the arrival of different musical rhythms from abroad.

[52][53] In the 1960s, populism established a strong presence in Rio Grande do Norte through Aluízio Alves, responsible for the beginning of the state's modernization, and Djalma Maranhão, a radical and left-wing politician.