On October 7, 1886, the Spanish government abolished slavery in Cuba, freeing the last 25,000 enslaved people on the island, three decades after the first abolitionist legislation was passed. The abolition process was gradual, beginning with the Moret Law of 1870, which freed children born to enslaved mothers and older adults, and culminating in the final decree. Cuba's emancipation was the last major abolition in the Spanish colonial empire and was influenced by the island's long independence struggle and international pressure. The event marked the end of centuries of slavery in the Caribbean.

The abolition of slavery in Cuba is a recurring theme in Cuban literature, from the poetry of Plácido and Nicolás Guillén to the novels of Alejo Carpentier. The event has been explored in works that examine the transition from slavery to freedom and the enduring racial hierarchies in Cuban society. Contemporary Cuban poets continue to engage with the legacy of slavery, using literature to critique ongoing discrimination and to celebrate Afro-Cuban culture.