La liberté du sacrement.

The article discusses Canon law related to slave marriage in colonial Brazil, with information on a petition sent by African slaves in Bahia, Brazil to the Catholic Church in Rome, Italy in 1708 on the subject of the legal marriage of slaves. Topics include Portugese and canonical law related to marriage in 18th century Brazil; the study of slave societies and the selective application of law due to their status as res humana; a 1585 Papal bull in defense of slave marriage in colonial Brazil; and the idea of the freedom of sacrament among Christian slaves navigating domestic sovereignty and individual rights.