New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan

Daniel Horsmanden is the Third Supreme Court justice serving on the New York Supreme Court during the 1741 slave rebellion trials. Following the trials’ conclusion, Horsmanden publishes his Journal of the Proceedings in The Detection of the Conspiracy, which serves as one of the only pieces of historical evidence about the slave burnings. In many ways, Horsmanden serves as the protagonist of Lepore’s history, appearing in every chapter of the work. Throughout New York Burning, Lepore is careful to evaluate the historical evidence for bias from Horsmanden, exploring how Horsmanden’s own personal desires and anxieties become closely intertwined with his investigation.

Horsmanden is originally born in Britain in 1694, where he is the son of a church rector. Rather than follow in his father’s footsteps, Horsmanden chooses to move to London and pursue a career in law. After running out of money, Horsmanden leaves to join his cousin William Byrd in Virginia, hoping to join the Virginia bar as a lawyer. However, Horsmanden is unable to find work in Virginia and eventually moves to New York to work under Governor William Cosby. Horsmanden slowly works his way up the political ladder in New York, becoming closely embroiled in New York’s hostile party politics.