In this speech to the Spanish Cortes, Republican politician and historian Emilio Castelar describes the abolition of slavery as a necessary part of Spain's regeneration as a modern nation state, alongside freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and electoral and religious reforms. As an American as well as a European power, he argues, Spain should be leading the way in establishing universal human rights and justice. He cites the debates of the French revolution, and the realisation that while slavery exists, "your human rights are a lie, your liberty is a lie, your equality is a lie" (26). Establishing that the abolition of slavery in Cuba and Puerto Rico is both feasible and necessary, Castelar calls for immediate emancipation.

Digital version accessible via search on the Biblioteca Digital Hispánica website (see link above).