In 1741, Manhattan had the second-largest slave population of any city in the Thirteen Colonies after Charleston, South Carolina. As a result The Conspiracy of 1741, also known as the Negro Plot of 1741 broke out in New York. This rebellion is marked as one of the most controversial events in the early American history because most historians disagree as to whether such a plot existed and, if there was one, its scale. This alleged conspiracy served as an excuse for a brutal revenge of the local authorities. The main target were African slaves. As in the Salem witch trials, a few witnesses implicated many other suspects. In the end, over 100 people were hanged, exiled, or burned at the stake.

Daniel Horsmanden (1691 – 1778) was a chief justice of the supreme court in the Province of New York and member of the governor's executive council.