The transatlantic slave trade began in the early 16th century and lasted until the mid-19th century. The abolition of slavery occurred in stages, beginning with some Latin American countries, such as Haiti in 1804, followed by countries such as Britain (1807), Denmark (1803), France (1848), Portugal (1761), Spain (1837), Sweden (1784), the Netherlands (1863), Belgium (1865), Brazil (1888), and finally with the passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865. Therefore, Africans endured enslavement for roughly 400 years before it was abolished and they were ultimately granted formal liberty and citizenship rights throughout different regions of the Americas.