The thirteen British colonies of the Atlantic seaboard won their independence from Great Britain by fighting the American War of Independence from 1775 to 1781. This event had repercussions throughout Europe and its colonies.

In 1789, a young cavalry officer inspired by the American Revolution, Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, lead the first conspiracy to overthrow Portuguese authorities in Minas Gerais, Brazil's gold and diamond mining region. He was nicknamed Tiradentes (tooth-puller) because he occasionally practiced the dentistry of his time. The Minas Conspiracy (Conjuração Mineira) was uncovered by the Portuguese and Tiradentes was hanged in a public square in 1792.

Before the dissolution of the Minas Conspiracy several Brazilians traveling and studying in Europe contacted Thomas Jefferson, who was then serving as the United States Minister to France. The Brazilians supported independence for their native colony and they approached Jefferson, as the author of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, to help them secure it. Jefferson transmitted what he learned from the Brazilians to the U.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs, John Jay. In his letter Jefferson detailed the situation in Brazil, its natural resources, and the disposition of the population to start an independence rebellion.

Congress did not take action to help the Brazilians, but Jefferson continued to pursue the matter. In 1791 he wrote to American diplomat David Humphreys in Lisbon requesting information about Brazil, noting: The jealousy of the Court in Lisbon on this subject will of course inspire you with due caution in making and communicating these enquiries. In his response, David Humphreys stated: Some troubles, not extending to insurrections, have happened within a year past in Brazil. Now a pretty good share of tranquility prevails. The Colonies have however many causes of complaint: and the Government at home of apprehension, that a separation must one day inevitably take place... In 1794, two years after Tiradentes' execution, Jefferson sent an except of his initial report about Brazil to President George Washington. From Monticello, in the last years of his life, Jefferson made clear his wish: ...to see no emperors nor kings in our hemisphere, and that Brazil as well as Mexico will homologize with us.