Abolition of Slavery Decree of 1883

The Abolition of Slavery Decree of 1883 (known simply as the Abolition Decree) was a royal decree issued by King John I on 19 October 1883 which effectively ended slavery and made it illegal to own humans in the Kingdom of Washingtonia. The decree repealed several prior slavery decrees including the Slaver's Bill of Rights of 1801.

Text
By His Royal Highness the King, John I

A decree,

Recognizing that slavery and forced servitude of man hath plagued the moral fabric of our Just Kingdom and Society, We make the following order:

1. That from the date that the text of this Decree be published and seen in the Herald, the slave trade and slavery at large be abolished.

2. There shall be in no territory of this Kingdom be put for sale or ownership any Negroes or persons, whether Washingtonian or foreign.

3. Ignorance of this order shall be punished with the confiscation of such slave and he be immediately freed, and the guilty be immediately subject to the Courts and Tribunals for appropriate justice to be done.

4. The Ministers in the Royal Parliament are charged with the execution of this order.

Sic fiat,

In the Name of the King, John I [signed]

King's Loyal First Minister, Francis du Montier [signed]

Dated: The nineteenth day of October in the year of our Lord One-Thousand Eight-Hundred and Eighteen Eighty-Three (19 October 1883)