Event

Law of the Free Womb

1871 · 19th century

The Law of the Free Womb was a law passed in the Brazilian Empire in 1871 declaring that children born to enslaved women would be free. It was a gradual emancipation measure that did not free existing slaves. It marked an important step towards the full abolition of slavery in Brazil, which came with the Lei Aurea of 1888.

Law of the Free Womb
Image: Império do Brasil · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Brazilian EmpireImpactAbolitionismEvents

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Law of the Free Womb. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/law-of-the-free-womb
MLA
“Law of the Free Womb.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/law-of-the-free-womb. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Law of the Free Womb.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/law-of-the-free-womb.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Law of the Free Womb’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/law-of-the-free-womb (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻