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Black poet and self-taught lawyer Luiz Gama (1830-1882) is arguably one of the most extraordinary abolitionists in the Americas’ history. Born free in the city of Salvador, Brazil, son of a liberated African woman, Gama was sold by his father when he was ten years old. He lived enslaved until he was eighteen, when, in his words, he “secretly obtained conclusive proof” of his freedom. Following his escape from captivity, he served as a soldier before eventually becoming a public notary. After fifteen years in the police administration, he cleverly exploited a norm and applied for the right to practice law, despite lacking a law degree. He acquired this right and became one of the best-known lawyers in the country. My forthcoming book shows that Luiz Gama’s legal work helped approximately 750 enslaved people achieve freedom. In light of one thousand previously unknown sources and based on both microhistory and social history methods, I explain how this unprecedented feat was achieved.