Historical Organization
Congress of Venezuela
Congress of Venezuela
Details
Organization Timeline
Venezuela declares independence without ending slavery
📅 5 July 1811The Congress of Venezuela declared independence from Spain. The declaration asserted sovereignty and criticized colonial conquest, but did not abolish slavery or free enslaved people. That omission...
First Venezuelan Constitution abolishes the transatlantic slave trade
📅 21 December 1811The Federal Constitution prohibited the commercial introduction of enslaved people, reaffirming an 1810 Caracas decree. It did not abolish slavery inside Venezuela: people already enslaved remained...
Senate approves Venezuela’s abolition law
📅 23 March 1854The Senate approved the abolition measure, completing congressional passage. The law declared slavery abolished forever and ended the legal service obligation of manumisos, but it compensated...
President Monagas signs the abolition law
📅 24 March 1854President José Gregorio Monagas signed the law, which stated that slavery was abolished forever in Venezuela and freed manumisos from compulsory service. It also barred the importation of enslaved...
Venezuela recognizes abolition compensation as national debt
📅 13 May 1856The 1856 law formally recognized as national debt the assessed value of people freed under the 1854 abolition law and its regulations. It set out claim review, registration, interest, and payment...