Martha Abreu Slave Mothers And Freed Children Summary

Following the war with Paraguay, in which slaves fought as members of the imperial army, the issue of slave labor had become a problem for parliament to address, and the “free for the womb” debate began in Brazil. Martha Abreu’s article “Slave Mothers and Freed Children: Emancipation and Female Space in Debates on the ‘Free Womb’ Law, Rio de Janeiro, 1871” analyzes the Free Womb Law, the debate surrounding its proposal, and the potential obstacles it would present to the perpetuation of slaveowners’ dominance. As Abreu explains, “the proposed law would free children subsequently born to slave mothers. It obliged slave owners to care for these children until the age of eight. In exchange for whatever expenditures or inconvenience might be entailed in these responsibilities, slave owners could choose a state-financed indemnity of 600 milreis, in the form of thirty year bonds paying six per cent. Or they could employ these children (known as ingenuos- or free- born) until they reached the age of twenty-one.”
The law …show more content…
Opposition was based on many different arguments, including the Free Womb Law not being financially beneficial for the slave owner, by challenging the dominance of slave owners, how the law would change already existing customs, and the issue of unconditional manumission. Supporting the Free Womb Law would not be financially beneficial for a slave owner, as “slave owners valued her labor not the future labor of her child. The amount of investment needed to raise a slave to the age of productive labor was much higher than most slave owners were willing to contribute” and it was cheaper to buy new slaves than try to naturally increase the population. This was due to the fact that African slaves repaid their cost through labor. However, other individuals in government opposed the Free Womb Law. Senator Cristiano Benedito Ottoni explained that you