The Demerara rebellion of 1823 was a slave rebellion that took place in the British colony of Demerara (now part of Guyana) on the South American coast. The rebellion was led by Quamina Gladstone, a slave who worked on a plantation owned by John Gladstone, the father of future British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.
The rebellion began on August 18, 1823, when a group of slaves on the Success plantation refused to work and marched to the nearby plantation of Le Resouvenir. They were joined by other slaves from neighboring plantations, and by nightfall, the rebellion had spread to over 20 plantations.
The rebels' plan was to march to the capital city of Georgetown and seize control of the colony. However, the British authorities were alerted to the rebellion and quickly dispatched troops to put it down. The British troops were under the command of Colonel John Murray, who had previously served in the Peninsular War against Napoleon.
The British troops met the rebels in battle on August 20, 1823, at a place called Bachelor's Adventure. The rebels were outnumbered and outgunned, and they were defeated without suffering heavy casualties. Quamina Gladstone was killed in the battle, and the rebellion was crushed.
The rebellion left a deep scar on the colony of Demerara. The British authorities executed dozens of slaves, and many more were flogged or imprisoned. The rebellion also led to increased restrictions on the slaves, and it made it more difficult for them to resist their masters.
The Demerara rebellion was not the first slave rebellion in the British West Indies, but it was one of the largest and most significant. It raised awareness of the harsh conditions under which slaves lived, and it contributed to the growing movement for the abolition of slavery.