On 13 May 1888 Princess Isabel, regent for her father Emperor Pedro II, signed the Lei Aurea, the Golden Law, which abolished slavery in Brazil without compensation, in two articles. Brazil had received about 4.9 million enslaved Africans, nearly half of all those brought to the Americas, and was the last country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery. By 1888 only about 700,000 remained enslaved, as many had fled and a free-womb law of 1871 had freed the children born to enslaved mothers. The freed received no land or help, and the landowners' anger contributed to the fall of the monarchy in 1889.
Before and after
- 31 October 1887Birth of Chiang Kai-shek
- 22 December 1887Birth of Srinivasa Ramanujan
- 1888Rise of Les Nabis
- 9 January 1888Founding of Financial Times
- 13 May 1888Brazil abolishes slavery with the Golden Law
- 13 June 1888Birth of Fernando Pessoa
- 13 August 1888Birth of John Logie Baird
- 16 August 1888Birth of T. E. Lawrence
- 5 September 1888Birth of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
More in Society, economy & sport
- 1823Origins of rugby union
- 26 October 1863The Football Association is founded in London
- 17 May 1865Founding of International Telecommunication Union
- 19 September 1893New Zealand becomes the first country where women vote
- 1903Origins of Major League Baseball
- 23 December 1913Founding of Federal Reserve System
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.