Points of reflection on the fight against corruption in portuguese America during the pombaline period (c. 1758-1768)

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to provide a basis for discussion of the concept of corruption in Portuguese America during the eighteenth century, with emphasis on the period of the Pombaline administration and the policies adopted to curb such practices. Although it rarely appears clearly in the documentation of the period in question, corruption, even seen as a branch of crimes such as smuggling, embezzlement and other illegal activities, was a constant practice, even tolerated by the authorities and the population, as long as certain established moral limits were not exceeded.