Jack Gladstone
Encyclopedia
Jack Gladstone was a Guyanese
slave who led the Demerara Slave rebellion of 1823
, one of the biggest slave revolts in the British Colonies.
He was tried after the rebellion, and was deported.
, an African-born enslaved carpenter, lived and worked on 'Success' plantation in Demerara. He is surnamed Gladstone, as the enslaved adopted surnames of their masters by convention. Sir John Gladstone, who had never set foot on his plantation, had acquired half share in the plantation in 1812 through mortgage default; he acquired the remaining half four years later. Until 1828, the estate was entrusted to Frederick Cort, who was fired for being "an idler and a deceiver" who had mismanaged one estate after another.
Jack was a cooper on the plantation. As a slave who did not work under a driver, he enjoyed considerable freedom to roam about. He was a free spirit, and passionate man who despised limitations on his freedom; he was aware of the debate about slavery in Britain, and was made extremely listless by rumours of emancipation papers arriving from London. Jack was tall and debonair, and possessed "European features" — he stood at six feet two inches, was intelligent, and had a reputation as a "wild fellow". Jack had been baptised, was occasionally a 'teacher', but was not a regular churchgoer because he was too restless to follow church rules. He had taken Susanna, a slave on 'Le Resouvenir' who was on Rev. Smith
's congregation, to his wife. However, in April 1812, Quamina had found out that she had become the mistress of John Hamilton, the manager at 'Le Resouvenir'. Rev Smith reacted angrily, and she was expelled her from the flock by unanimous vote when she had refused to terminate the relationship. When Susanna left, Jack married a slave on 'Chateau Margo' plantation, but would continue to have relations with several other women on the same plantation, to the disdain of the both the owner of Margo and the manager at Success.
Da Costa puts Jack's age at around 30 at the time of the rebellion. Following the arrival of news from Britain that measures aimed at improving the treatment of slaves in the colonies had been passed, Jack had heard a rumour that their masters had received instructions to set them free but were refusing to do so. He wrote a letter (signing his father's name) to the members of the chapel informing them of the "new law". Meanwhile, his father Quamina supported the idea of a peaceful strike, and made the fellow slaves promise not to use violence. Jack led tens of thousands of slaves to raise up against their masters. The very low number of white deaths is proof that the uprising was largely peaceful – Plantation owners, managers and their families were locked up and not harmed. After the slaves' defeat in a major battle at 'Bachelor's Adventure', Jack fled into the woods. A "handsome reward" of one thousand guilder was offered for his capture. Jack and Quamina remained at large until Jack and his wife were captured by Capt. McTurk at 'Chateau Margo'. Leading up to it, McTurk had received information on 6 September from a slave about Jack's whereabouts; there was a three-hour standoff. Quamina evaded capture for several days longer. At its end, and the slaves' defeat, hundreds of slaves were executed as ringleaders, including Quamina. Jack Gladstone was sold and deported to Saint Lucia
. His legacy was to help bring attention to the plight of sugar plantation slaves, accelerating the abolition of slavery.
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
slave who led the Demerara Slave rebellion of 1823
Demerara rebellion of 1823
The Demerara rebellion of 1823 was an uprising involving more than 10,000 slaves that took place in the former Crown colony of Demerara-Essequibo ....
, one of the biggest slave revolts in the British Colonies.
He was tried after the rebellion, and was deported.
Biography
Jack and his father, QuaminaQuamina
Quamina Gladstone, most often referred to simply as Quamina, was a Guyanese slave, a Coromantee, who was father of Jack Gladstone. He and his son were involved in the Demerara rebellion of 1823, one of the largest slave revolts in the British colonies before slavery was abolished.He was a carpenter...
, an African-born enslaved carpenter, lived and worked on 'Success' plantation in Demerara. He is surnamed Gladstone, as the enslaved adopted surnames of their masters by convention. Sir John Gladstone, who had never set foot on his plantation, had acquired half share in the plantation in 1812 through mortgage default; he acquired the remaining half four years later. Until 1828, the estate was entrusted to Frederick Cort, who was fired for being "an idler and a deceiver" who had mismanaged one estate after another.
Jack was a cooper on the plantation. As a slave who did not work under a driver, he enjoyed considerable freedom to roam about. He was a free spirit, and passionate man who despised limitations on his freedom; he was aware of the debate about slavery in Britain, and was made extremely listless by rumours of emancipation papers arriving from London. Jack was tall and debonair, and possessed "European features" — he stood at six feet two inches, was intelligent, and had a reputation as a "wild fellow". Jack had been baptised, was occasionally a 'teacher', but was not a regular churchgoer because he was too restless to follow church rules. He had taken Susanna, a slave on 'Le Resouvenir' who was on Rev. Smith
John Smith (missionary)
John Smith was a missionary whose experiences in the West Indies attracted the attention of the anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce.-Biography:...
's congregation, to his wife. However, in April 1812, Quamina had found out that she had become the mistress of John Hamilton, the manager at 'Le Resouvenir'. Rev Smith reacted angrily, and she was expelled her from the flock by unanimous vote when she had refused to terminate the relationship. When Susanna left, Jack married a slave on 'Chateau Margo' plantation, but would continue to have relations with several other women on the same plantation, to the disdain of the both the owner of Margo and the manager at Success.
Da Costa puts Jack's age at around 30 at the time of the rebellion. Following the arrival of news from Britain that measures aimed at improving the treatment of slaves in the colonies had been passed, Jack had heard a rumour that their masters had received instructions to set them free but were refusing to do so. He wrote a letter (signing his father's name) to the members of the chapel informing them of the "new law". Meanwhile, his father Quamina supported the idea of a peaceful strike, and made the fellow slaves promise not to use violence. Jack led tens of thousands of slaves to raise up against their masters. The very low number of white deaths is proof that the uprising was largely peaceful – Plantation owners, managers and their families were locked up and not harmed. After the slaves' defeat in a major battle at 'Bachelor's Adventure', Jack fled into the woods. A "handsome reward" of one thousand guilder was offered for his capture. Jack and Quamina remained at large until Jack and his wife were captured by Capt. McTurk at 'Chateau Margo'. Leading up to it, McTurk had received information on 6 September from a slave about Jack's whereabouts; there was a three-hour standoff. Quamina evaded capture for several days longer. At its end, and the slaves' defeat, hundreds of slaves were executed as ringleaders, including Quamina. Jack Gladstone was sold and deported to Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
. His legacy was to help bring attention to the plight of sugar plantation slaves, accelerating the abolition of slavery.
See also
- Abolition of slavery timelineAbolition of slavery timelineAbolition of slavery occurred as abolition in specific countries, abolition of the trade in slaves and abolition throughout empires. Each of these steps was usually the result of a separate law or action.-Ancient times:...
- Toussaint L'ouvertureToussaint L'OuvertureFrançois-Dominique Toussaint Louverture , also Toussaint Bréda, Toussaint-Louverture was the leader of the Haitian Revolution. His military genius and political acumen led to the establishment of the independent black state of Haiti, transforming an entire society of slaves into a free,...
- Vincent OgéVincent OgéVincent Ogé was a wealthy free man of color and the instigator of a revolt against white colonial authority in French Saint-Domingue that lasted from October to December 1790 in the area outside Cap-Français, the colony's main city...
- BussaBussaBussa was an African-born Barbadian slave who in 1816 led a slave uprising in Barbados popularly known as Bussa's Rebellion. Bussa was born a free man in Africa, possibly of Igbo origin, and was captured by African slave merchants, sold to the British, and brought to Barbados in the late 18th...
- Samuel SharpeSamuel SharpeSamuel 'Sam' Sharpe, or Sharp, National Hero of Jamaica was the slave leader behind the Jamaican Baptist War slave rebellion. Samuel Sharpe was born in the parish of St. James...
- Anti-Slavery SocietyAnti-Slavery SocietyThe Anti-Slavery Society or A.S.S. was the everyday name of two different British organizations.The first was founded in 1823 and was committed to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Its official name was the Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the...
- List of opponents of slavery