With this act, Portugal formally eradicated legal slavery from all its domains, fulfilling a complex historical trajectory that had begun with restrictive decrees centuries earlier. The Road to Complete Abolition Throughout the 19th century, international pressure mounted on Portugal to align with the growing abolitionist sentiment.
Portugal Colonial Slavery End 1875: The Saraiva-Cotegipe Law and Final Abolition
However, these measures coexisted with the active participation of Portuguese merchants in the African slave trade, which became a cornerstone of the empire’s economy. Early Restrictions and the Context of Human Bondage Long before the formal abolition movement gained momentum in Europe, Portuguese monarchs issued decrees concerning the treatment of enslaved people.
Inspired by the British Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, Portugal passed the Saraiva-Cotegipe Law in 1875. This legislation granted freedom to all children born to enslaved women and mandated the gradual emancipation of all slaves.
Portugal Colonial Slavery End 1875: The Saraiva-Cotegipe Law and Final Abolition
This process culminated in the definitive ban on the trade and the institution itself during the late 19th century. This legal milestone, however, did not immediately free those already enslaved or dismantle the entrenched systems of labor exploitation.
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