Golden Law

The Golden Law, known in Portuguese as the Lei Áurea, is the Brazilian imperial decree that abolished slavery throughout the Empire of Brazil. It was signed into law on 13 May 1888 by Princess Isabel, who was serving as imperial regent while her father, Emperor Pedro II, was traveling in Europe, after the bill had passed both houses of the Brazilian parliament. The law consisted of just two brief articles: it declared slavery abolished in Brazil from the date of publication, and it revoked all provisions to the contrary, providing for no transition period, no compensation to slaveholders and no organized program of support for the several hundred thousand people it freed. Brazil was the last country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery, and the abruptness of the law's enactment, following decades of gradual abolitionist legislation, is widely credited by historians as a contributing factor in the collapse of the Brazilian monarchy and the proclamation of the republic the following year, 1889.