The 1823 Rebellion of Demerara

 

 The 1823 Rebellion of Demerara

Demerara along with neighboring Berbice and Essequibo had become a colony in 1803. By 1823 planters and slaves united in opposition to what they saw as interference from the British government about improving the conditions of slaves. However in June news of some reform ordered by London was interpreted by the slaves as emancipation and when this had not been granted by August, a revolt broke out. The course, the different causes and effects of the Demerara revolt will be discussed in this essay. The Demerara revolt was one of the most non-violent rebellions that had brutal consequences for the slaves that were involved.

The causes of the Demerara revolt were very straightforward. The enslaved desired their freedom, harsh treatment by slave masters, slaves being underfed, and religion. Firstly, the enslaved Africans always desired their freedom because they never accepted slavery. The thoughts of their homeland Africa were still very much alive in their minds as they always thought of returning. The enslaved Africans also wanted their freedom because they wanted a life for themselves outside of plantation life. Secondly, the treatment received by slaves was very brutal, their punishment was very severe. They were flogged mercilessly, hanged, publicly humiliated and the list goes on. Women were sexually abused. Thirdly slaves were not fed properly. After working long hours on the cane fields, the enslaved Africans were not given proper and enough food to eat and the saying goes “A hungry man is an angry man”. This condition made the enslaved furious. Last but not least, the doctrines of Christianity regarding the equality of men were often heard by the slaves and they started seeing their worth and they realized their life on the plantation differed from the teaching of Christianity.

The 1823 demerara revolt began on Le Resouvenir, on success estate a few miles to the east Of George Town on August 18th.In this rebellion, approximately 30,000 enslaved Africans were involved. On August 17th, 1823 three enslaved men named jack Gladstone, Joseph Packwood, and Manuel started panning the revolt. Jack Gladstone was a copper, Joseph Packwood was an enslaved house servant and Manuel was a slave. Whilst planning the revolt, the father of Jack Gladstone whose name is Quamina objected to any bloodshed instead he suggested that the slaves should go on strike instead. The enslaved were very loyal to their master and information of the revolt was leaked by Joseph Packwood. Leaking the plans for the rebellion will make him be favored by his slave master. After the slave master heard the news he decided to confront the enslaved and upon his arrival, he encountered a large group of enslaved who were heavily armed. The slaves were demanding better treatment, but the slave master told them to drop their weapons and go home. The enslaved refused and thus the revolt began. It was not long after the revolt spread to more than fifty neighboring estates. During this rebellion, the enslaved locked up white managers and overseers. After which they searched their homes for additional weapons. To suppress this uprising martial law had declared. The rebels were hunted down by armed troops with much bloodshed. Over 100 slaves were executed, many houses flogged or sentenced to hard chains for life and numerous slaves were burnt down.

This rebellion had many effects. One of the effects was that many slaves lost their lives as a result of the imposition of martial law on slaves which was used to stop the rebellion. The rebellion also played a role in influencing the decision made by the British Empire in 1833 to abolish slavery with effect from August 1st, 1834. Although the 1823 Demerara rebellion was not successful it later made the British public switch from being pro colonist to pro-abolition. It also led to laws being changed in Demerara, creating working hours and civil rights for the enslaved.

It can be concluded from the 1823 Demerara rebellion that the enslaved Africans only wanted their freedom and better treatment. This was by the non-insurrectionary approach that was taken towards this rebellion by the enslaved Africans as it was non-violent. It can also be concluded that although the Demerara 1823 rebellion was unsuccessful and had grave consequences for the enslaved, it paved a way for slaves to gain their freedom and better living conditions.