Abolition of slavery

The abolition of slavery was a long historical process, not a single event. For centuries, millions of people were enslaved and forced to work in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and other regions. From the late 18th century, abolitionist movements grew stronger.

Formerly enslaved people, religious groups, writers, and activists challenged the idea that one person could legally own another and denounced slavery's violence. The Haitian Revolution was a landmark: slavery was abolished there after a successful uprising by enslaved people.

In Britain, the slave trade was abolished in 1807, while slavery itself was abolished in most of the British Empire in 1833, with emancipation taking effect from 1834. The process continued at different speeds. France abolished slavery in its colonies in 1848, the United States abolished it through the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, and Brazil, the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, did so in 1888.

These dates mark major legal changes, but abolition did not immediately bring equality or erase its long-term consequences. Formerly enslaved people often faced discrimination, poverty, and exclusion. The struggle also continued through efforts against human trafficking and forced labour. Today, this history is studied through laws and political decisions, but also through the voices and resistance of enslaved people themselves.