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Event↕ | Year↕ | Country↕ | Key Figure↕ | Type↕ | Significance↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Somerset v Stewart ruling | 1772 | England | Lord Mansfield | Court ruling | Held slavery unsupported by English common law |
Pennsylvania Gradual Abolition Act | 1780 | United States | George Bryan | Legislation | First state law phasing out slavery |
French First Republic abolishes slavery | 1794 | France | National Convention | Legislation | Abolished in all colonies, later reversed by Napoleon |
Haitian Revolution victory | 1804 | Haiti | Jean-Jacques Dessalines | Revolution | First successful slave revolt, independent black republic |
British Slave Trade Act | 1807 | United Kingdom | William Wilberforce | Legislation | Abolished transatlantic slave trade in British Empire |
US bans slave importation | 1808 | United States | Thomas Jefferson | Legislation | Import of enslaved people banned by Congress |
Spain abolishes slave trade | 1820 | Spain | Ferdinand VII | Treaty / Legislation | Treaty with Britain, weakly enforced in Cuba |
Slavery Abolition Act | 1833 | United Kingdom | Thomas Fowell Buxton | Legislation | Freed 800,000 enslaved people across British Empire |
French Second Republic abolition | 1848 | France | Victor Schoelcher | Legislation | Permanent abolition throughout French colonies |
Emancipation Proclamation | 1863 | United States | Abraham Lincoln | Executive order | Freed enslaved people in Confederate states |
Thirteenth Amendment ratified | 1865 | United States | Abraham Lincoln | Constitutional amendment | Abolished slavery throughout the United States |
Cuban abolition (Moret Law completion) | 1886 | Cuba / Spain | Spanish government | Legislation | Ended slavery in Cuba after gradual process |
Brazilian Golden Law (Lei Aurea) | 1888 | Brazil | Princess Isabel | Legislation | Last country in Americas to abolish slavery |
League of Nations Slavery Convention | 1926 | International | League of Nations | Treaty | First international treaty against slavery |
Saudi Arabia abolishes slavery | 1962 | Saudi Arabia | King Faisal | Decree | Freed an estimated 10,000 enslaved people |
Mauritania criminalizes slavery | 2007 | Mauritania | National Assembly | Legislation | Last country to criminalize slavery |
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