Three and a half decades before the city of New York witnessed the first great battle waged by the new United States of America for its independence; rumors of a massive conspiracy among the city's slaves spread panic throughout the colony. On the testimony of frightened bondsmen and a handful of whites; over seventy slaves were convicted and a third of these were executed.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 to individuals. Peter Hoffer now retells the dramatic story of those landmark trials; setting the events in their legal and historical contexts and offering a revealing glimpse of slavery in colonial cities and of the way that the law defined and policed the institution.Among other things; Hoffer reveals how conspiracy became a central feature of the law of slavery at the same time as it reflected the white belief that slaves were always conspiring against their masters. He draws on uniquely revealing firsthand accounts of the trials to both retell a gripping story and open a window on colonial American justice. He leads readers through a chain of events involving robbery and arson that culminated in the trials of a group of white men suspected of inciting the slaves to revolt. The episode; so vital to our understanding of a time when slavery was an entrenched institution and the law made even the angry muttering of slaves into a criminal act; has much to tell us about current affairs as well. African slaves in colonial times were viewed by authorities and citizens much as some foreigners are today: inherently dangerous; easily identifiable; and constantly conspiring.
#1516869 in Books University Press of Kansas 1990-06-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .89 x 5.98l; 1.19 #File Name: 0700605673400 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Excellent analysis of Confederate high command in the WestBy IpyVery interesting and probably essential for an understanding of the problems that plagued Confederate high command in the West. Woodworth takes a sympathetic view of Davis and asserts that he did the best he could. I tend to agree; as the top Western commanders were generally inferior to Lee and far more trouble politically. The best of the bunch were lower ranked officers who never got the chance at higher command; most notably Claybourne and Stewart. Overall; an excellent work.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An excellent insight into Jeff Davis and his failingsBy S. H. BottomsAs a student of Civil War history; and a proud Southerner; there have always been questions in my mind regarding Davis' command selections and why he seemed to continue to back men who proved themselves as failures on the battlefield.Woodworth does an excellent job illustrating the how and the why of this; tapping I to Davis' own failings to show how; I. The end; he would was singularly incapable of admitting that his choices were failures because they would destroy his own view of himself.An excellent read on how Davis lost us the war.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Vital for students of the Civil WarBy JBNecessary for a proper understanding of why the Confederacy could never get their act together in the West. Well written and well researched with great detail about the various personalities that made up the dysfunctional Confederate command structure.
