Manuel Pinto de Sousa Dantas (21 February 1831 – 29 January 1894) was a Brazilian lawyer, politician and Prime Minister of Brazil from 1884 to 1885, noted for his efforts to reform slavery.

[2] In 1884, faced with demands for more decisive action in slavery, emperor Pedro II appointed Dantas to seek a solution.

The Constitution, however, determined that, as a deputy, when Barbosa gave up his seat in the Assembly, he had to submit to a new election and, if defeated, he would lose his term and his portfolio.

But, in fact, by forcing all slaves to be re-registered and identified in detail within a year, it would represent the almost immediate release of all those under the age of fourteen based on the "Law of the free womb".

Failing to get support, the Dantas Cabinet fell and the Emperor appointed José Antônio Saraiva to deal with the question of slavery.

The bill drew heavily on the Dantas Bill of 1884 and was signed jointly with 12 other liberal senators,[6] among them the Viscount of Ouro Preto, the Viscount of Pelotas, Gaspar da Silveira Martins, Lafayette Rodrigues Pereira, pt:José Inácio Silveira da Mota and pt:José Rodrigues de Lima Duarte.

Despite being rejected by the Senate, the bill strengthened the abolitionist movement, and promoted politicians such as Joaquim Nabuco, André Rebouças and even Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil to later argue for the settlement of ex-slave families.