The period covered by the study focuses on the first half of the nineteenth century, the initial moment of the process of building the nation-state bases in Brazil, which marks the preliminary stage of the institutionalization of public education in the country and in the province of Minas Gerais. Political and intellectual elites, especially those in the province contributed during the first half of the nineteenth century to disseminate a discourse in defense of the public school, which affirmed, above all, the importance of elementary education for the poor in society.

The research aims to reflect the experiences of free blacks with teaching in the Term of Mariana, in the Brazilian province of Minas Gerais, during the first half of the 19th century. Through an analysis of the nominative lists of the districts that constitute the Termo de Mariana in the period between 1831 and 1838, it was possible to identify the localities that had black students in the process of schooling.

Schooling, in some cases, enabled the black not only to enter a space of greater possibilities in society, and to distance himself from the universe of slavery, but mainly, to attribute meanings to his freedom. Their yearnings were being built in opposition to the historical experience of slavery, and they were geared to overcoming it.

Moving away from slavery represented having some rights, and over time, the "whitening" (FONSECA, 2007). It was to make himself more accepted and socially established, to have his children in school and to decide how his own craft should be organized. And, after reaching freedom, their yearnings took on a new format. The educational experiences of free and freed blacks in Termo de Mariana during the first half of the nineteenth century were diverse.

They manifested themselves in different ways and occurred in very diversified types of households. Analyzing, through the nominative list of 1831-1839, the trajectory between those years lived by some free black boys who attended classes during the 1830s.</p> <p>It was possible to verify that, at the end of the decade, there were cases of students who continued their studies maintaining in the school space and integrating to the secondary education. It was also found case of students who, with the intention of dedicating themselves to the studies, were exempt of the universe of work. These findings somehow indicated that there were families who supported and incorporated the need for schooling of their children. Most of them did not have a high standard of living; on the other hand, they were likely to work in broad cooperation for their livelihood, and they attached significant importance to teaching and schooling.</p> <p>We identified that free and freed blacks had yearnings about school, and it is possible that they were somehow aware of the effects that schooling could bring on their universe of living and the production of social status.