Within the Haunting Bedrock of Lower Manhattan | Part 6. The New York Conspiracy of 1741 | A Real Uprising or Paranoia?

The winter of 1740–1741 was one of the coldest on record, freezing both the Hudson River and Boston Harbor and contributing to famine, increased mortality, and economic hardship in the Atlantic region. Great Britain was fighting Spain in the War of Jenkins’ Ear from 1739 to 48 in the Caribbean and the Americas, and it launched a massive attack on Cartagena de Indias (in modern Colombia). It ended in a disastrous defeat with heavy casualties, with fighting spreading to the Georgia-Florida border in 1741. Thirteen fires broke out between March and April 1741 across New York City, including one that destroyed Fort George. Paranoia reigned. Was the New York Conspiracy of 1741 a real uprising, or was it paranoia like the Salem Witch Trials?

During the New York Conspiracy of 1741, also known as the Negro Plot, white citizens accused enslaved Africans and poor white settlers of plotting to kill Manhattan’s white citizens and seize control of the colony. Some documented ties existed between some poor whites and enslaved Blacks, but historians question if they were extensive enough to mount a genuine rebellion.

Working-class whites and enslaved people vied for the same jobs in the urban economy, causing economic tensions. The authorities believed enslaved Black people and poor whites socialized in certain taverns to conduct illicit business together. Authorities arrested a 16-year-old white indentured servant named Mary Burton after a burglary at a local shop. In exchange for her freedom and a cash reward, Burton claimed that those meeting in the taverns were plotting to burn the city and install a new king. Supreme Court Justice Daniel Horsmanden led an aggressive investigation that relied on coercion and finger-pointing. They also arrested or accused 200 people, including both Black and white residents during the panic.

Authorities executed 30 enslaved Black men, with 17 burned at the stake and 13 hanged. They also hanged 4 white citizens, including John Ury, a Catholic priest accused of orchestrating the plot. In addition, they exiled 70 to 80 enslaved people, selling them to the Caribbean and other colonies.