With the proclamation of independence in 1889, Brazilian society needed to transform itself to build the long-awaited Republic of liberals and Freemasons, or of liberals/Freemasons. Thus, the period from 1889 to 1930, known as the First Republic, is marked in the country's history. The guiding question of the research is: Did the educational reforms of the First Republic aim at a social and economic transformation in Brazil? Based on Heidegger's Hermeneutic Phenomenology (1967), we intend to critically interpret the public policies of this period based on Paulo Freire's thinking, bringing this perspective of education with a role of change in the subjects who transform the reality in which they live. Therefore, our theoretical framework includes Nagle (2001), Carvalho (1987), and Freire (2001). This approach was made through a dialogue between three central characteristics of the politics of this period: liberalism, nationalism, and positivism; and Freirean concepts: liberation, power, and culture.