Change came through a combination of resistance by enslaved people, organized abolitionist campaigning, legislative developments, and shifts in the broader economy.
In 1850, Brazil passed the Eusébio de Queirós Law, which targeted the transatlantic slave trade.
Although the law represented an important development, it did not end slavery within the country.
People already held in bondage remained enslaved, and the domestic slave trade continued.
In 1871, the Free Womb Law declared that children born to enslaved mothers after its enactment would be legally free, though its provisions allowed continued control over many children’s labor and lives.
In 1885, another law addressed the status of elderly enslaved people, but it also contained conditions that limited its practical effect.
These measures reflected the gradual weakening of slavery’s legal foundations.
Yet they were far from sufficient.
