whether enslaved, liberated or free. Historiography has already established that liberated Africans created bonds with those around them, including neighbours and others, who formed networks of support in times of need, such as the moment of requesting emancipation, even when living in urban contexts in a small work place (Moreira, 2005; Cavalheiro, 2015). Miquelina's petition does not indicate who may have been part of her support network, but it is important to highlight the participation of Jose Gomes da Silva, the person who wrote and signed her petition. As the judicial record does not yield any information about him, it is not possible to know whether he was a friend, neighbour or merely an acquaintance, but his presence in this process indicates that liberated Africans were not alone in their pursuit of freedom. During the nineteenth century, urban centres such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo witnessed the progressive growth of abolitionist organizations that included lawyers and rabulas, who promoted the cause of freedom of enslaved people in the courts. The participation of such figures in the emancipation of Africans via legal channels is clear. ${ }^{5}$