“A negrada em ação - o ataque aos bondes da Light”: serviços de transportes urbanos em Salvador (1897 - 1909).

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to investigate the electric tramway transport service in Salvador between the late 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century. Specifically, it is interested in understanding the 1909 Quebra-Bondes, a protest marked by the destruction of electric trams, especially those operated by the Bahia Tramway Light & Power Company (Light). Based on the analysis of newspapers, magazines, cartoons, legal cases, official reports, and administrative records, it was possible to shed light on the context of the transition from animal-drawn to electric trams and to perceive the conflicts surrounding the dispute over the electricity and public transportation markets. The sources also made it possible to get closer to the daily life involving trams and to map the conflicts, tensions, and accidents that frequently occurred. Faced with the poor and costly services provided by private companies, the users —mostly composed of male and female workers —questioned, criticized, and proposed improvements, thus making themselves active subjects in the process of urban transformation in Bahia during the First Republic.