Enacted a few years after the rise of the liberal cabinet to power, the decree of December 14, 1854 ordered the registration of all slaves living in the Portuguese overseas possessions within 30 days of its publication in the colonies. It followed years of international diplomatic pressure, especially from Britain, to end Portuguese involvement in the slave trade and subsequently abolish slavery. The decree required that all masters registered their slaves with the local authorities under the risk of losing their human property. Masters could register absent or runaway slaves by memory, but any unregistered slave would be automatically freed at the end of the given period. Individuals brought against their will to Portuguese territories by land after the decree’s publication would be considered libertos, freed, and listed in a separate register dedicated exclusively to “freed people.” They would be required, however, to serve their masters for a period of 10 years. No judicial claims on the freedom of these individuals could be made without reference to the registers of slave and freed people.
The 1854 decree was first published in the government’s official newspaper, the Diário do Governo, in Lisbon on December 28, 1854. The governor of the province of Mozambique received word of the decree by the end of 1855 and published a copy of it in the provincial official newspaper, the Boletim do Governo da Província de Moçambique, in the following year. He also relayed the decree’s orders to each district governor through a series of circular letters, beginning in March, 1856. District governors then informed the population of their respective jurisdictions by hanging bandos or editais on prominent locations of their territories, calling masters to register their slaves within the 30-day period required by the decree. The whole process, however, took longer than the authorities expected, with slaves being listed until 1862. Consequently, the provincial governor was never able to report a global figure of the slaves registered to the central administration in Portugal. Because the registration of libertos was intended to discourage the importation of slaves overland, it was conducted on an ongoing basis, with individuals being listed as late as 1875.
The “Freed Africans”, or libertos, were slaves who arrived by land after the publication were considered freed. But they were required to serve their masters for a period of 10 years and their labor could also be sold to others. During this period, they would essentially be free, unpaid servants, which is not much different that the existing slaves. So they were “freed” but not free. Additionally, some of the libertos were also slaves who were not registered, so they were considered “freed”. In order to become freed, many slaves ran away from their owners and some even revolted to gain their freedom.
After the Decree was published, district governors were given the orders and given the task to relay the information to their territories. The information was then relayed to the people in their district that they were required to register all slaves within 30 days. For example, in Cabo Delgado the governor called for owners of slaves to present themselves in front of the Secretariat in order to “competently” register their slaves. In order to ensure a timely registration, some districts had government officials ensuring the process would be smooth.
While most of the registrations went easily, some areas had more trouble than others in registering the slaves. Some areas claimed that they did not have enough money or the resources to register their slaves within the 30 day period. Many of the highly rural areas claimed it was difficult for the master to register the slaves as well. Additionally, there was some resistance from the owners who did not wish to register their slaves at all, with some slave owners claiming the slaves were instead “black servants”. Finally, once many of the slaves became aware that they could become free, they ran away so they would not be registered in the 30 day period and would instead become freed.
Despite many of the obstacles that slave owners faced in registering their slaves, a total of 41,365 slaves were eventually registered between 1857 and 1862. Many of these slaves were registered in coastal areas and regions with higher Portuguese and governmental presence. Mozambique Island, Cabo Delgado, Inhambane, and Sofala had some of the largest registers of slaves in coastal areas, just as Quelimane and Sena in large inland regions also had large numbers. While they were successful in registering the majority of Mozambican slaves, there still remains a sizable portion that were unable to be registered.
Due to the trials of time, many of the original registers have been lost or destroyed. Currently, registers have been found for 6 of the 10 districts in Mozambique, though many of them are not complete anymore. Just Bazaruto and Lourenço Marques had complete registers found in Mozambique. Additionally, Tete and Quelimane registers were found in Lisbon that appear to be complete as well. As for libertos, only 3 of the districts have been found for them, comprising of 4,553 freed men. While not all of the registers exist, they still relay important information about the Mozambican slaves and their origins.
The registers contain identifying information about the slaves, their origins, and their location of registration. Each slave is registered under their master, who provided the information about them, whether it was correct or not. While their names were included, some of the names were derogatory or “funny” names provided by the masters. The registers also included information about their origins, specifically the city or region they were from as well as the city/region that they were registered in. This information shows the path many of the slaves took from their homes to their places of register. Additionally, the registers also provide information about the slave’s gender as well as occasionally any identifying features, such as scars or birthmarks
The registers contain identifying information about the slaves, their origins, and their location of registration. Each slave is registered under their master, who provided the information about them, whether it was correct or not. While their names were included, some of the names were derogatory or “funny” names provided by the masters. The registers also included information about their origins, specifically the city or region they were from as well as the city/region that they were registered in. This information shows the path many of the slaves took from their homes to their places of register. Additionally, the registers also provide information about the slave’s gender as well as occasionally any identifying features, such as scars or birthmarks