On May 13, 1888, Princess Isabel of Brazil signed the Golden Law (Lei Áurea), which abolished slavery in Brazil without any compensation for slave owners, making it the last country in the Western Hemisphere to end the institution. The law immediately freed approximately 700,000 enslaved people, the largest single emancipation in the Americas. The abolition was the culmination of decades of abolitionist activism, including the work of former slaves like Luiz Gama and the protests of the popular Abolitionist Movement. However, the abrupt emancipation left many former slaves without land or economic support, leading to ongoing social and racial challenges.

The abolition of slavery in Brazil has been a central subject in Brazilian literature, from the poems of Castro Alves, who wrote passionately against slavery, to the works of modernists like Jorge Amado and Carolina Maria de Jesus. The event is commemorated in annual literary festivals and has inspired countless poems, songs, and novels that explore the legacy of slavery in Brazilian society. The Golden Law remains a powerful symbol of both liberation and unfulfilled promises.