Auxílio aos alunos pobres nas escolas de primeiras letras em Minas Gerais no século XIX

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the process of poor stu-dent´s education in Minas Gerais in Brazilian 19 th century. We seek to understand, in this process, the socio-historical construction of the term "poor student ", by speeches in defense of public education. These speeches are related to practices to enable the frequency of these students to elementary public school. Based on documentary analysis as newspapers, governmental correspondence and legislation, it was possible to understand the process of assigning responsibilities to the government to rescue the frequency of poor students in the elementary schools in the province of Minas Gerais. We could understand the development of a bureaucratic structure that supported practices previously undertaken in order to purchase materials and books to the needy students. We also realize the construction of representations (through laws, petitions, letters) of a kind of students who would be part of Brazilian schools since then: the poor students, which needed governmental resources to be frequent at school and receive the basic teachings principles and values, to be civilized adults.