Brazil Abolishes Slavery
On May 13, 1888, Brazil formally abolished slavery through a royal decree known as the Golden Law, making it the last major country in the Americas to do so. This landmark decision followed a long history of slavery in Brazil, which was established during European colonization in the 1490s by the Portuguese. The country became a significant destination for African slaves, who were forcibly brought to work on plantations and in mines, driven by the demand for products like rubber, coffee, and sugar.
Despite Brazil's independence from Portugal in the 1820s, slavery remained deeply entrenched in its social and economic fabric. Efforts to abolish the practice gained momentum in the late 19th century, influenced by global movements and local unrest among the enslaved population and their supporters. The transatlantic slave trade was officially ended in 1850, but domestic slavery persisted until the Golden Law was enacted. The law was a response to increasing pressure for reform and the realization that continued slavery could lead to unrest. Following emancipation, Brazilian planters sought to recruit European immigrants to fulfill labor shortages, marking a significant shift in Brazil's labor dynamics. This historical event reflects the complexities of abolition and its lasting impacts on Brazilian society.
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Brazil Abolishes Slavery
Brazil Abolishes Slavery
On May 13, 1888, a royal decree abolished slavery in the South American nation of Brazil, one of the largest countries on earth and the last major slaveholding power.
Brazil is by far the largest nation in South America, taking up roughly half of the continent. After the arrival of Europeans in the 1490s, it was colonized by the Portuguese, who brought in large numbers of African slaves to work the lucrative rubber, coffee, and sugar plantations. Slaves were also imported to labor in the rich gold mines of the Minas Gerais region. The Brazilian slave trade was facilitated by Brazil's relative proximity to West Africa, where the Portuguese and their traders had been operating for centuries. Once the Portuguese began to carry African captives across the Atlantic, white settlers and plantation owners became a minority in Brazil's population, outnumbered by the slaves they had imported and the slaves' descendants. In the 1820s Brazil achieved independence from Portugal. It was ruled by a dynasty of self-proclaimed emperors until 1889, the dynasty stemming from members of the Portuguese royal family who chose to support the cause of Brazilian independence.
The transatlantic Brazilian slave trade ended in 1850, thanks to pressure from the British, who used their powerful navy to put an end to the importation of Africans. Slaves could still be bought and sold within Brazil, however, for slavery itself remained legal there. It had become a social and economic institution, an integral part of Brazilian life. Support for abolition grew after the United States ended slavery following the American Civil War, but the process was slow. Conservative vested interests supported the piecemeal abolition of slavery over a period of decades rather than immediate, wholesale emancipation, leading to such limited reforms as the emancipation of slave children in 1871 and elderly slaves in 1885. However, the slow pace of reform caused considerable unrest, both within the slave population and in the Brazilian army, which was responsible for preserving order. Slaves began to run away in significant numbers, and the soldiers refused to stop them.
On May 13, 1888, Princess Isabel, the interim ruler of the country during her father's illness, issued the Golden Law, emancipating all slaves and finally ending slavery in Brazil. The planters and mine-owners reluctantly accepted her decree, realizing that emancipation would be preferable to chaos, and began bringing immigrants over from Europe to fill the need for cheap labor.