ABSTRACT
This paper focuses on the analysis of the first book written by Joaquim Nabuco, A escravidão (Slavery), in which he relates his experience in defending a slave accused of murder in 1869 in Pernambuco. Nabuco grounds his argument on a severe critique of bondage, formulated in the context of the Natural Law tradition. Debating issues pertaining to the concepts of property, fetishism, and despotism, in addition to a consideration of the scholastic notion of personhood, he not only brings about a dialogue between medieval theology and modern liberalism, but also the preservation of his defendant's life, who ends up having his sentence commuted to life imprisonment.
Keywords:
Joaquim Nabuco; slavery; Natural Law; property; despotism.