76 Atlantic African, American, and European Backgrounds to Contact, Commerce, and EnslavementAs the months progressed, the accusations became
more frequent and more widespread. On May 29, 1741,
Cuff ee and Quack were tried for arson, found guilty, and
sentenced to death. Th ey were burned at the stake the next
day. Th e executions of the alleged ringleaders in the spring
were followed by a number of trials in the summer that
resulted in the execution and banishment of many other
slaves. Some were hanged, some were burned at the stake,
and others were transported out of the colony. In total, 13
black men were burned at the stake, 17 were hanged along
with 4 whites, and more than 70 were sentenced to trans-
port out of New York.
Th e reactions of white New Yorkers, particularly those
of the Supreme Court judges and jury, were the product of a
broader paranoia about slave rebellion. Th e New York Slave
Revolt of 1712 and the Stono Rebellion of 1739 in South
Carolina, among other acts of rebellion, remained in the
memories of both free and enslaved New Yorkers. Th is
memory provided a source of suspicion and antagonism
toward slaves and slave gatherings (like the alleged gather-
ing and plotting at Hughson’s tavern).
Th ere is considerable scholarly debate about who was
actually responsible for the fi res. Given the unfair nature of
the trials and the seemingly coerced nature of many of the
confessions, it is unclear who was telling the truth during
the trial. Much like the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, para-
noid accusations and coerced confessions served as ad-
equate evidence of a broad conspiracy.
See also: New York Revolt of 1712; Northern Slavery; Slave
ResistanceJerad MulcareBibliography
Davis, Th omas J. A Rumor of Revolt: Th e “Great Negro Plot” in Co-
lonial New York. New York: Th e Free Press, 1985.
Hoff er, Peter Charles. Th e Great New York Conspiracy of 1741 :
Slavery, Crime, and Colonial Law. Lawrence: University Press
of Kansas, 2003.
Lepore, Jill. New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in
Eighteenth-Century Manhattan. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
2005.New York Revolt of 1712
One of the largest early revolts in North America occurred
in New York City in 1712. On the fi rst of January of thatand were part of a larger conspiratorial plot by the city’s
slaves. Th roughout April and May, they arrested several
slaves they believed to be connected to the arsons, includ-
ing Geneva Club member Cuff ee and another slave named
Quack. A series of trials in the New York Supreme Court
commenced on April 21 and continued through August 31,
- City recorder and judge Daniel Horsmanden oversaw
the trials and recorded the proceedings, later publishing a
report.
On May 1, 1741, Caesar and Prince were tried and
convicted of burglary. A week later, on May 8, they were
sentenced to death. On May 11, both were publicly hanged,
and Caesar’s corpse was gibbeted and publicly displayed.
Between Caesar and Prince’s trial and their sentencing, on
May 6, John Hughson and his wife, Sarah, along with Mar-
garet Kerry, were tried and convicted of feloniously receiv-
ing stolen goods. All three were found guilty on June 8 and
were publicly hanged on June 12, 1741.
A slave plot in New York City results in the burning of two slaves at
the stake in 1741. In all, 31 slaves were executed aft er the conspir-
acy. (Mary Evans Picture Library/Th e Image Works)