Lei Áurea
| Lei Áurea Golden Law | |
|---|---|
Manuscript of the Lei Áurea Brazilian National Archives | |
| General Assembly of the Empire of Brazil | |
| |
| Citation | Law No. 3,353 of 13 May 1888 |
| Territorial extent | Empire of Brazil |
| Passed by | General Assembly of the Empire of Brazil |
| Passed | 12 May 1888 |
| Enacted | 13 May 1888 |
| Signed by | Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil |
| Introduced by | Rodrigo Augusto da Silva |
| Summary | |
| Declares slavery extinct in Brazil. | |
The Lei Áurea (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈlej ˈawɾiɐ]; English: Golden Law), officially Law No. 3,353 of 13 May 1888, is the law that abolished slavery in Brazil. It was signed by Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1846–1921), an opponent of slavery, who acted as regent to Emperor Pedro II, who was in Europe.
The Lei Áurea was preceded by the Rio Branco Law of 28 September 1871 ("the Law of Free Birth"), which freed all children born to slave parents, and by the Saraiva-Cotegipe Law (also known as "the Law of Sexagenarians"), of 28 September 1885, that freed slaves when they reached the age of 60. Brazil was the last country in the Western world to abolish slavery.