Día de la abolición de la esclavitud (Puerto Rico Emancipation Day) is March 22. It commemorates the abolition of human enslavement by the Spanish Parliament on March 22, 1873.
Puerto Rico Emancipation Day 2021
It’s a national holiday in Puerto Rico. The next holiday is observed on Monday, March 22, 2021.
In Spanish, it is “Día de la abolición de la esclavitud” (day of the abolition of slavery).
Día de la abolición de la esclavitud
Freedom is a very big deal no matter where you are, but the day has a special meaning for Puerto Ricans. That’s because Puerto Rico was colonized by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and the United States in 1898 and have not been free since. That’s why you hear complaints about being the last colony.
Puerto Rico Emancipation Day
Like everything around slavery, this wasn’t a clean or fair deal.
Slaves had to keep working for their owners for three more years, and owners were compensated 100 pesos for each slave. Can you believe that? The slavers were compensated, but not the slaves. Wow!
