y of
revolutionists, with the exclamation, "Independence or Death." On the 12th
of the following month he was solemnly crowned as Pedro I.,
"Constitutional Emperor of Brazil," and the revolution was consummated.
Within less than a year thereafter not a hostile Portuguese soldier
remained in Brazil, and it had taken its place definitely among the
nations of America.

This is but half the story of Brazil's struggle for freedom. It seems
advisable to tell the other half, which took place in 1889, sixty-seven
years after the first revolution. The first made Brazil an independent
empire. The second made it a republic, and brought it into line with the
republican nations of America. And in connection therewith a peculiar fate
attended the establishment of monarchy in Brazil. We have seen how John,
the first emperor, "left his country for the country's good." The same was
the case with his two successors, Pedro I. and Pedro II.

Pedro I. took the throne with loud-mouthed declarations of his aspirations
for liberty. He was going to be a second Washington. But it was all empty
talk, the outpourings of a weak brain, a mere dramatic posing, to which he
was given. His ardor for liberty soon cooled, and it was not long before
he was treating the people like a despot. The constitution promised was
not given until it was fairly forced from him, and then it proved to be a
worthless document, made only to be disregarded. A congress was called
into being, but the emperor wished to confine its functions to the
increase of the taxes, and matters went on from bad to worse until by 1831
the indignation of the people grew intense. The troops were in sympathy
with the multitude, and the emperor, finding that he stood alone against
the country, finally abdicated the throne in haste in favor of his infant
son. He took refuge on a British warship in the harbor, and left the
country never to return. The remainder of his short life was spent as king
of Portugal.

Dom Pedro II. was a very different man from his father. Studious, liberal,
high-minded, he did not, like his father, stand in the way of the congress
and its powers. But for all his liberality, Brazil was not satisfied. All
around it were republics, and the spirit of republicanism invaded the
empire and grew apace. From the people it made its way into the army, and
in time it began to look as if no other emperor would be permitted to
succeed Dom Pedro on the throne. By this time he was g