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The New York Conspiracy of 1741, also known as the Slave Insurrection of 1741, was a series of events in colonial New York City marked by a rash of fires and accusations that slaves and poor whites were plotting to burn the city and kill whites, leading to mass arrests, trials, and executions.
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Here's a more detailed look at the events:
- Initial Events: In 1741, a series of fires broke out in New York City, culminating in a fire that destroyed Fort George, the official residence of the Province's governor.
- Rise of Fear and Suspicion: These fires, coupled with a theft, fueled widespread fear and suspicion among white colonists, who began to believe that slaves and poor whites were plotting a rebellion.
- The Accusations: A slave named Mary Burton, promised freedom and a reward, implicated several people in a vast conspiracy to burn the city and kill whites, including tavern owners, other slaves, and a prostitute.
- The Trials: Justice Daniel Horsmanden led an inquiry into the fires, and a grand jury was formed to investigate. Nearly 200 people were arrested, and the accused were tried by the New York Supreme Court.
- The Accusations Shift: The prosecution initially focused on the slaves and poor whites, but later began to link the alleged conspiracy to a "Popish" plot by Spaniards and other Catholics, reflecting the tensions between Protestant England and Catholic Spain at the time.
- The Outcomes: The trials resulted in the execution of 18 black people (some burned at the stake, others hanged), two white men, and two white women, as well as the deportation of more than 70 people.
- Historical Debate: Historians continue to debate the extent and nature of the alleged conspiracy, with some arguing that it was a product of racial and class tensions, while others suggest it was a case of paranoia and witch-hunt.
- Justice Horsmanden's Account:Horsmanden's Account: Justice Horsmanden's edited account of the trials is a primary source for understanding the events and the atmosphere of fear and suspicion that gripped colonial New York City.
- The Legacy: The New York Conspiracy of 1741 remains a significant event in American history, raising questions about slavery, race, class, and the role of fear and suspicion in shaping colonial society.
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New York Conspiracy of 1741
The Conspiracy of 1741, also known as the Slave Insurrection of 1741, was a purported plot by slaves and poor whites in the British colony of New York in 1741 to revolt and level New York City with a series of fires. Historians disagree as to... Wikipedia
Start date: 1741
End date: 1741
Resulted in: Hundreds arrested, over one hundred hanged, burned at the stake, or exiled
The conspiracy was reported as a plot to take over the city government by White ringleaders, assisted by enslaved people who were promised their freedom.
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Trials Relating to the New York Slave Insurrection, 1741
history.nycourts.gov › case › slave-consp...
Based upon questionable testimony, thirty people were sentenced to death and seventy others to slavery in the Caribbean.
Mar 3, 2025 · New York slave rebellion of 1741, a supposed large-scale scheme plotted by Black slaves and poor white settlers to burn down and take over New ...
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When in 1741 a rash of fires followed a theft in pre-revolutionary New York City, British colonial authorities came to suspect an elaborate conspiracy led ...
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The suspected conspiracy in New York prompted one of the most extensive slave trials in colonial history and some of the most grisly punishments ever meted out ...
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Apr 30, 2023 · Rumors that enslaved Black New Yorkers were planning a revolt spread across Manhattan even more quickly than fires for which they were being blamed.
At a Supreme Court of judicature held for the province of New York, at the city-hall of the city of New York, on Tuesday, April 21, 1741-Present, Frederick ...