Slave Conspiracy of 1741

Tension had always existed between the whites and the blacks even before the slave conspiracy of 1741. This tension was not purely racial but was also economic in nature. Most slaves in order to survive offered their labor for a very small amount and engaged in the same trade as their masters. This tension was at its peak in early part of the 17th Century when there was 1 slave for every four white. As a result, thousands of whites were displaced from their employment and suffered poverty. Because of the cheap services they offered, the black slaves failed in their competition against the white.

Because of these tensions and the fear that someday these slaves will lead an uprising against the whites, laws were passed against them. The movements were restricted. They were severely punished for every commission of an offense, even if it was a minor infraction. They were mistreated and were given little or no rights at all. Perhaps because of the oppression they experienced, in April 1712, two dozen slaves burned buildings in New York and used guns, axes and swords to attack those who tried to put out the blaze. The slaves killed or wounded twenty whites before the police arrested them.

More than twenty slaves were tried for treason and murder. Harsh penalty was imposed against those who found guilty. They were either hanged or burned. In 1741, the whites were weary that the 1712 event will happen again. The times were hard for the whites but it was worse for the black slaves. Tension was felt such that a mere hint of unrest had the effect of creating panic among the whites for fear of slave rebellion. The slave revolt which had happened in neighboring countries such as South Carolina and Caribbean added to this tension. “New York Slave Insurrection of 1741”) II. The so-called Slave Conspiracy of 1741 In Feb 1741, there was an isolated case of burglary in New York committed by a black slave named Caesar. This case of burglary was later on connected with a series of mysterious fire that will eventually be blamed against the slaves. The first of this series of fire started in March 1741 when the house of a lieutenant governor was ravaged by fire. Initially the lieutenant declared that the cause of the fire was due to a plumber who used live coals while repairing a gutter in his house. John V. Morris) Several days after a series of fires happened in New York.

Though the cause of the fire was explained by the owners of these houses, rumors spread quickly that the slaves are plotting against them and that they want to overthrow the government. The suspicion that a conspiracy was being hatched by the slaves increased as the cases of fires grew in number. In April, a series of fires broke out once more. This time, a black man was seen running away from the scene. A white man wary of a slave uprising tried to catch him and yelled that “The Negroes are rising! The slave was eventually caught and tried. Now there seemed to be evidence which proves that the fires are not accidental and that it is intentionally being done by slaves. At this point, concerned about the rumors of a slave uprising, the city council ordered an intense investigation on this matter. Though nothing concrete was found, the investigation conducted merely made the situation worse and intensified the rumors about a slave conspiracy. Before these occurrences, Caesar, the person who committed the burglary in February of 1741 was eventually arrested in the tavern of Hughson.

Hughson was immediately suspected of receiving stolen goods. Initially, the accusation against him was limited to the purchase of stolen items. But the investigators discovered Mary Burton, the indentured slave of Hughson who claimed to know something about the robbery but was initially reluctant to testify against him saying that: “I’ll be murdered or poisoned by the Hughsons and the negroes for what I should tell you. ” (George Dewan) Mary Burton was immediately placed under protective custody.

At this point the series of fire broke out. The city council began to entertain the possibility that the fires was actually the work of arsonists and that there is a slave conspiracy to overthrow the government. This was fueled when in one of the fires mentioned above, a black slave was seen running away from the fire and shouts of “The Negroes are Rising were heard” Mary Burton made the connection between the robbery and the arson when she testified before the jury that the slaves were plotting to burn the city and massacre the whites. `In their common conversations they used to say that when all this was done, Caesar should be governor, and Hughson, my master, king,” (George Dewan) Because of this testimony, the Caesar was convicted and hanged. The same thing happened to Hughson and his wife though till the very last moment of their lives they denied their knowledge of and involvement in any slave conspiracy but admitted that they purchased stolen goods from the slaves. (John Morris)

The arrests continued and several others were hanged without any direct evidence and purely on the basis of Mary Burton’s testimony. It bears stressing that her testimony was full of inconsistencies but despite this the jury gave credence to her. The trials and executions culminated in August of 1741 when John Ury was convicted. He was a schoolteacher who had a mastery of Latin. He was likewise arrested when Mary Burton suddenly remembered about him being one of the plotters to the conspiracy. But during the duration of the trial, Mary Burton made no mention of him.

After the trial, Mary Burton got her reward from the city on Sept. 2, 1742. It totaled 100 pounds sterling, more than enough to pay for her freedom. By the end of the trials, 160 blacks and 21 whites had been arrested, 17 blacks were hanged and so were four whites, 13 African were burned at stake, and 72 blacks were banished from New York. (“The New York Slave Insurrection of 1741”) III. Conclusion Adopting the words of Thomas J. Davis, “New York’s officials indulged themselves and the public in acting out their fears.

They simply deceived themselves by systematizing real disorders into a single scheme where all the enemies of the English world suddenly surfaced. ” I share the view of most historians on the issue of whether there was “The Slave Conspiracy of 1741” or “The Great Negro Plot. ” I believe it did not exist. From the point of view of law, there is conspiracy when two or more persons come to an agreement regarding the commission of a crime and decide to commit it. In proving conspiracy, it is not necessary that there be a direct evidence of conspiracy or that proof of the agreement be produced.

Conspiracy may be inferred from the acts of two or more persons when two or more persons proceed toward the accomplishment of the same objective, each doing his own act, so that their acts though seemingly independent were in fact connected showing a closeness of former association and concurrence of sentiment. In this case, the black slaves and some whites were being charged with conspiracy to burn the whites and overthrow the government. The evidence submitted was only the self-serving assertion of Mary Burton the indentured slave of Mr. Hughson who after the trial received 100 pounds sterling which was enough to buy her freedom and enjoy the rest of the money for herself. For one to be convicted of conspiracy there must be a showing that there a common purpose and design in pursuing the objective. The facts mentioned above however do not show that a conspiracy existed. There was no showing that the series of fires were intentionally committed for the purpose of overthrowing the government. Reports of the owners of the houses burned even had a logical explanation as to why the fire happened contrary to the allegations that there was arson.

There was likewise no showing that the series of fires was connected and that there is only one group responsible for it. Contrary to the testimony of Mary Burton, the evidence shows that the series of fires were accidental. Further there was likewise no showing that the burglary that happened in February 1741 was connected with the fires that happened a few weeks after. Ordinarily, a person who is about to die would admit the offense he had committed. Hughson however did not admit that he was part of the conspiracy though he admitted that he purchased stolen goods from slaves.