Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Rio Branco Law
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Read Next
Picking cotton on a Georgia plantation, 1858. Illustration published in Ballou's Pictorial, v. 14, 1858, p. 49. African Americans; Black Americans; cotton pickers; slavery; slaves; enslavement; Georgia
Pro and Con: Reparations for Slavery
Flag of Brazil
6 Significant Paintings in Brazil
Painting titled: "Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention" oil on canvas by Junius Brutus Stearns, 1856; in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. (Note from museum) The painting represents George Washington's role as president of the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The normally reserved Washington urges passage of a new federal constitution, a draft of which he holds in his hands.
How Many of the Signers of the U.S. Constitution Were Enslavers?
Panoramic view of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil circa 2008. Rio de Janeiro skyline, Rio de Janeiro city, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Guanabara Bay
Brazil: 10 Claims to Fame
The National Congress of Brazil in Brasilia City capital of Brazil. Brazilian National Congress designed by Oscar Niemeyer a Brazilian architect specializing in international modern architecture.
11 Iconic Buildings in Brazil
Discover
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Alice in Wonderland)
11 Banned Books Through Time
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History

Rio Branco Law

Brazil [1871]
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/event/Rio-Branco-Law
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Law of Free Birth, Lei do Ventre Livre
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Quick Facts
Also called:
Law of Free Birth
Portuguese:
Lei do Ventre Livre
Date:
1871
See all related content

Rio Branco Law, measure enacted by the Brazilian parliament in 1871 that freed children born of slave parents. The law was passed under the leadership of José Maria da Silva Paranhos, Viscount do Rio Branco, premier during 1871–73, and Joaquim Nabuco de Araujo, a leading abolitionist. Although the children were set free, the measure allowed the parents’ owners to require such children to work until they reached age 21.

The final success of the Brazilian abolition movement came in 1888, when slavery was finally abolished altogether without compensation to the owners. At that time approximately 700,000 slaves were set free out of a total population of about 15,000,000.