lang: en
Summary
In June 1857, enslaved and freed African laborers known as ganhadores in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, struck against a city council law requiring them to register, pay a tax, and wear an ID tag to work. The strike paralyzed the city’s transportation of goods, gaining support from merchants, slave owners, and the provincial legislature. The tax was revoked, but the ID tag and recommendation requirement remained, resulting in a partial victory.
Background
In the 1800s, Brazilian slaves and freed Africans known as ganhadores transported goods and people in Bahia. After an 1835 revolt, the Bahian Parliament passed legislation to control them, including taxes, which they resisted through hiding and false identities. In March 1857, the Bahian City Council enacted a new law requiring ganhadores to obtain a permit and wear a metal ID tag costing 5,000 reis, along with a guarantor, which they opposed as a symbol of low status and slavery.
What happened
From 1 June to 9 June 1857, ganhadores conducted a strike that caused a complete slowdown of goods transportation in Bahia, crippling city businesses [source: nv-database]. On 2 June, President Joao Lins Cansacao de Sinimbu ordered the Council to revoke the tax component, and the Provincial Legislature supported the registration and ID tag but not the tax [source: nv-database]. The strike continued for six more days aiming to eliminate remaining regulations, with African women and children supporting the strikers by selling food on credit [source: nv-database]. After the tax was eliminated, slave owners withdrew support and pressured slaves to return to work; some ganhadores who complied were stoned by strikers who tore off their ID tags [source: nv-database]. The media, including Jornal da Bahia, called the strike a crisis and emergent revolution [source: nv-database]. By 8 June, ganhadores resumed business without wearing ID tags, and on 9 June the Council replaced the ordinance with a tax-free ID prerequisite and a certificate of guarantee from a district official or respected person [source: nv-database]. Attorney Firmino da Costa Menezes wrote petitions for ganhadores to obtain these certificates [source: nv-database]. After the strike, individual ganhadores continued to resist by not wearing ID tags and were arrested when caught [source: nv-database].
Key people & organizations
- Ganhadores
- Bahian City Council
- Joao Lins Cansacao de Sinimbu
- Firmino da Costa Menezes
- The Commercial Association
- Bahian Provincial Legislature
- Jornal da Bahia
Tactics used
The strike leveraged the essential role of ganhadores in the city’s economy, creating a bottleneck that forced elites and the government to negotiate. Civil disobedience, such as hiding and refusing to wear ID tags, complemented the strike by making enforcement impossible. [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: partial.
The campaign achieved 4 out of 6 specific demands, eliminating the tax but failing to remove the ID tag and recommendation requirement. The partial success was due to the withdrawal of support from slave owners after the tax was revoked, which weakened the strike’s leverage. [source: nv-database]
Lessons
- A strike that disrupts a critical economic function can force elites to pressure the government for concessions.
- Broad coalition-building with merchants and slave owners can amplify leverage but may also limit the scope of demands.
- Continued civil disobedience after a partial victory can maintain pressure for further gains.
Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database —
[[nv-database]]
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via
worker_casestudies_v2.py