1814: The Dutch government formally abolished the transatlantic slave trade, joining the growing international coalition committed to ending the traffic.

1814: The Dutch government formally abolished the transatlantic slave trade, joining the growing international coalition committed to ending the traffic. This legislative move followed the restoration of Dutch independence after the Napoleonic wars and was encouraged by sustained British diplomatic pressure. While the legal ban was an important milestone, the effective enforcement of the law across the Dutch Atlantic empire required several more years to realize. The abolition marked the end of the Netherlands’ long history as a major international carrier of enslaved African labor.