1836–1867: Portugal was the final nation in the Atlantic world to formally abolish the slave trade in 1836, yet illegal trafficking persisted for another thi…

1836–1867: Portugal was the final nation in the Atlantic world to formally abolish the slave trade in 1836, yet illegal trafficking persisted for another thirty years. The suppression of the traffic was only fully realized when the last documented transatlantic slave vessel landed its cargo in Cuba in 1867. This long delay between legal bans and actual cessation was fueled by high demand in the “second slavery” economies of Brazil and Cuba. The era of suppression was marked by a constant struggle between illicit merchants, public opinion, and the evolving norms of international law.