It is true that the controversial theses presented by Macedo in 1819 were criticised by other academics, including Acúrsio das Neves in 1830 and Joaquim José Lopes de Lima in 1844. In his Considerações políticas e económicas sobre os descobrimentos... [ Political and economic considerations on the discoveries... ], Acúrsio praises Macedo as "one of our erudite scholars" regarding the alleged voyages to the Canary Islands during the reign of King Afonso IV, citing his memoir. He makes several comments on this subject but ultimately disagrees with Macedo's thesis that "it will be necessary to hand over the palm (...) that supported those of Prince Henry the Navigator" (pp. 22 and 26). This is supported by Lopes de Lima in Estatística das possessões... [Possession Statistics], 1844, p. IX, no. 1, where he highlights the significance of the geographical location of the Canary Islands for ancient peoples, Christians, and Muslims during the Middle Ages, contrasting this with the repeated crossings of Cape Bojador during the time of Prince Henry the Navigator. In 1835, Macedo revisited the topic of the discoveries, this time concentrating on the European arrival on the coast of Guinea.

Macedo's identification with the new order that emerged from the Vintist movement (1820-1823) is clearly evident. As part of the Academic Commission, "appointed to give an opinion to the Preparatory Board of the Corts on the best method for convening them" (with sessions on 21/10/1820 and 29/3/1821), Macedo submitted a copy of his Projecto de regimento das Cortes Portuguesas (Draft Rules of Procedure for the Portuguese Courts) ( História e Memórias… , tome VIII, 1820). In the brief introduction to this text, likely written during the famous Martinhada in November, Macedo frequently references Jeremy Bentham and the Spanish Constitution of 1812. The key issue at hand was which constitutional text Portugal should adopt and the nature of the regime to be established in the metropolis.

In 1821, Macedo was also appointed to the academic commission that met at the Torre do Tombo to compile documentation on the traditional courts, working alongside figures such as abbot Correia da Serra; the lecturers and judges João Pedro Ribeiro and Francisco R. dos Guimarães; França Galvão, future abbot of Lustosa; Monsignor of the Patriarch Ferreira Gordo, and the 2nd Viscount of Santarém. This consultation by the Sovereign Congress aimed to identify which documentary elements could be utilised to construct a historical narrative that would legitimise Vintist parliamentary traditionalism. This was part of a politico-legal effort to establish a form of constitutionalism grounded in traditional elements.

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