In 1741, amid fires and social unrest, colonial authorities in New York City accused a group of enslaved Africans and poor whites of plotting an uprising. Fueled by fear and the coerced testimony of a teenage servant, over 170 people were arrested. Seventeen Black men were hanged, thirteen were burned alive, and dozens were exiled—despite little evidence. At a time when nearly 20% of New Yorkers were enslaved, this tragic event exposed deep racial and economic tensions. Historians now view it as a case of mass hysteria and injustice.

In the spring of 1741, a series of fires swept through New York City, including one that destroyed Fort George, the governor's residence. At the time, New York had one of the largest populations of enslaved Africans in the northern colonies—making up nearly 20% of the city’s population. Enslaved people worked in homes, on docks, in workshops, and helped build the infrastructure of the growing city.

In the climate of fear that followed the fires, colonial authorities accused a group of enslaved Africans and working-class whites of plotting an uprising to burn the city and seize power.

Over 170 individuals were arrested. The central testimony came from a 16-year-old indentured servant named Mary Burton, whose claims, under pressure from authorities, implicated dozens. The trials were led by Judge Daniel Horsmanden, who documented the proceedings and relied heavily on hearsay and coerced confessions.

As a result, seventeen Black men were hanged, thirteen were burned at the stake, and four white people were executed. Around seventy more enslaved individuals were exiled to the Caribbean. The events took place in an atmosphere charged with economic tension, racial fear, and anti-Catholic sentiment, particularly due to war with Spain.

Historians widely agree today that the conspiracy was likely exaggerated or even fabricated, driven more by social panic than fact. The trials led to harsher laws controlling enslaved people in New York and have become a lasting symbol of racial injustice in colonial America.

· New York Courts. "The 1741 New York Slave Conspiracy Trials." Historical Society of the New York Courts. https://history.nycourts.gov/case/slave-conspiracy-trials/.

· The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. "The New York Conspiracy of 1741." Spotlight on Primary Sources. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/new-york-conspiracy-1741.

· Singer, Alan. "The New York Slave Conspiracy Trials of 1741." January 2020. https://alansinger.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1741a.-slavery-conspiracy-trial.pdf.