In 1888, Princess Isabel receives an extraordinary letter of thanks for the Golden Law of 1888 and a moving plea for financial assistance.

• Two letters received by Princess Isabel, "anonymous" authors.
• In Portuguese.
• 2 pages (1st letter) + 3 pages (2nd letter).
• +/- 17 cm x 25 cm.
• Brazil, 1888.
• Excellent condition of conservation.
• Single set.

Letter of thanks for the Golden Law of 1888

Mixed transcription (original text + hypotheses).

Page 1

Thanks

City of Santa Terezinha, May 15, 1888

Madam

I have the honor to congratulate Your Imperial Highness, Most Serene Royal Regent, and your august parents. From Brazil, we send our prayers for hurrahs. Admiration for the greatness of Your Majesty is awakened by the solemnity, the ordinary justice and the legality of the decisions that mark the new phase of Brazil.

With great joy, we bow before the origin of this great news and historic event. Your Royal Highness,

I request, in advance, that the love that developed the New Codes, especially the emancipation of black people, be recognized, as it reflects the work of establishing the bases of justice and the strength of the Law.

Page 2

In 1870, Your Imperial Highness brought forward the Decree that culminated, in 1888, in the liberation of black people in Brazil. This event is engraved in history in letters of gold. Glory to the flourishing of the great Fatherland and to the importance of this history.

Your Imperial Highness Regent,

With real and dedicated devotion,

Geraldo Felipe d'Oliveira

Financial Aid Request Letter

Page 1

To Your Imperial Highness, I have so much more to say and I deserve this request to be granted.

No. 32
27-2-88

August and Most Serene Lady Princess Imperial Regent,

Madam,

Due to lack of resources, I could not pay the rent. I ask for a license for the following: I am a lover of Your Majesty, who has freed all his slaves in the world. I am poor, but faithful. I have been doing this for 10 years, without any profit. In the hope of a better future, and believing in the acceptance of winter,

Page 2

savings or prize, I have not been able to earn enough money to pay my debts. Therefore, I protect the Province of Rio de Janeiro with great dedication. I humbly ask that, out of charity, Your Imperial Majesty grant me alms to help me recover. My title costs 250,000.

Page 3

Your Majesty, in ordering a tea in a box, I did so with great affection for my family, who have lived a few leagues from Boticário for 35 years. But God is great, and I still have hope. I trust in Your Majesty's charity. As a foreigner and as a slave, I am on my way, with my wife waiting. God and the Most Holy Mary will reward Your Majesty. I humbly ask for a favorable response.

Sao Paulo, November 21, 1888.
Guarates Street no. 39.

The Lei Áurea (Golden Law), enacted on May 13, 1888, was a fundamental milestone in the history of Brazil, as it abolished slavery in the country. This legislative act was the result of long abolitionist struggles and both internal and external pressures. Abolition meant the liberation of approximately 700,000 slaves, officially ending more than three centuries of slavery in Brazil, the last country in the Americas to abolish this practice. The Lei Áurea (Golden Law), despite being short and direct, had a profound impact on the social and economic structure of Brazil, although the lack of integration policies for former slaves perpetuated inequalities that are still felt today.

Princess Isabel, regent of Brazil during the absence of her father, Dom Pedro II, was responsible for signing the Lei Áurea (Golden Law). Her relationship with the Brazilian people, especially with the abolitionist movement, was one of great respect and admiration. Although part of the agrarian elite resisted abolition, Princess Isabel was seen by many, especially abolitionists and Afro-Brazilian populations, as a progressive and compassionate figure. Her decision to sanction the law reinforced this bond, while also consolidating her image as a leader committed to human rights, which earned her the title of “The Redeemer”. However, the abolition of slavery also contributed to the erosion of the monarchy, culminating in the Proclamation of the Republic the following year.

However, with the abolition of slavery, the Brazilian economy faced immediate challenges. The agrarian elite, which depended on slave labor, became concerned about the shortage of workers for the plantations. To overcome this problem, investment began in European immigration, mainly Italians, Portuguese and Spanish, to meet the need for labor on coffee farms. Despite this, the transition to wage labor was not simple and generated a series of social tensions and great poverty.

These two letters bear stark witness to Brazil at that time and the historical importance of Princess Isabel. Personally, the brutality of poverty expressed in the second letter and the historical importance of the first letter (probably written by a black person) had a profound impact on me, especially this sentence:

Your Imperial Highness anticipated the Decree that culminated, in 1888, in the liberation of black people in Brazil. This event is engraved in history in letters of gold. Glory to the flourishing of the great Fatherland and to the importance of this history.