Page images
PDF
EPUB

10

SLAVE INSURRECTION; ASSEMBLY DISSOLVED.

Mohawk.* Some of these Germans settled in Pennsylvania and others in North Carolina, there establishing the German customs and religious views, which have been handed down even to the present time, especially in Pennsylvania.

a

Hunter now engaged in a dispute with the Assembly, because they would make nothing but annual grants, and for some time much dissatisfaction was caused by the strife between the two. A few years later, however, Hunter succeeded in obtaining a majority among the newly elected Assemblymen who were favorably disposed to him, and thenceforth he ruled the colony without difficulty, afterward succeeding in obtaining standing revenue.† In 1712, during Hunter's administration, occurred a slave insurrection. A party of armed negroes set fire to an outhouse near Maiden Lane, and as the people approached to extinguish the flames, they were shot or slashed by the negroes. Troops were rushed to the scene and quickly subdued the murderers, but not until after nine citizens had been killed and six wounded. Of the negroes arrested, 21 were executed, one being broken at the wheel,

* The documents relating to the Palatines will be found in New York Historical Documents, vol. v. See also Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., pp. 484-485.

Fiske, Dutch and Quaker Colonies, vol. ii., pp. 242-245; Doyle, Middle Colonies, pp. 276 et seq., 284 et seq.; Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., pp. 496-498.

and several burned alive at the stake, while the others were hanged.* In 1719 Hunter left the province with many substantial tokens of good will and affection,† and was succeeded in office by William Burnet, son of the renowned Bishop Burnet. Being aware of the importance of resisting the French encroachments on the west, Burnet in 1722 ordered a trading post to be established at Oswego, thus taking possession of the

south shore of Lake Ontario. He did this on the plea that the English were the protectors of the Five Nations and that the Indians had granted their hunting grounds to their white protectors. Five years later, Burnet also caused a fort to be built at the same place, but the French likewise realized the importance of the lake region, and they also erected a fort at Niagara, commanding communication into the upper lakes and the Mississippi.

Meanwhile Burnet had become involved in embarrassments with the Assembly and the people. In 1727 the people complained regarding the general course of events, and Burnet dissolved the Assembly which had now been in office for eleven years. But the members of the new Assembly who were now elected were no more favorable to the governor, and they

N. Y. Col. Docs., vol. v., pp. 341, 346, 356, 367, 371, 525; Doyle, pp. 281-284; Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., pp. 494-495. † Lamb, vol. i., pp. 508–509.

Roberts, New York, vol. i., p. 252.
Roberts, pp. 258-260.

TRIAL OF JOHN PETER ZENGER.

complained that the Court of Chancery over which Burnet presided was illegal, and oppressed the inhabitants by the exorbitant fees demanded. Shortly afterward, Burnet was removed from office in New York and appointed to the governorship of Massachusetts.* John Montgomerie succeeded Burnet in 1728, but his administration was brief, and in 1732 he was succeeded by Colonel William Cosby.† At this time the inhabitants of New York numbered about 8,000. Cosby at first gave every indication of being immensely popular, but he was possessed of a violent temper and soon became involved in quarrels with the members of the Council, chiefly because he claimed the right to sit and vote when the Council was acting as a legislative chamber. The Council denied that he had this right and was supported by the Board of Trade. He also engaged in a dispute with John Peter Zenger, proprietor of the Weekly Journal, a newspaper which was opposing the governor and his party. Believing that he had good cause for complaint, Cosby sued Zenger for libel, but not satisfied with this, he ordered the Journal to be burned by the sheriff and also placed Zenger under arrest. The trial resulted in the acquittal of

* Hildreth, vol. ii., pp. 317-319; Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., pp. 524-525.

Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., p. 538.

See N. Y. Col. Docs., vol. v., p. 975. See also Doyle, Colonies under Hanover, p. 129 et seq., for other disputes; Roberts, New York, vol. i., p. 162 et seq.

11

Zenger, which was chiefly due to the efforts of Andrew Hamilton, a Philadelphia lawyer, who defended Zenger's cause.* Thus the freedom of the press was vindicated.† Zenger, however, did not benefit much by his acquittal and in the following words he complains that those who professed to be his friends and supporters were neglecting him:

"My country subscribers are earnestly desired to pay their arrearages for this journal, which if they don't speedily, I shall leave off sending, and seek my money another way. Some of these kind customers are in arrears upwards of seven years! Now, as I have served them so long, I think it is time, aye and high time too, that they gave me my outset, for they may verily believe that my every-day clothes are worn out. N. B. Gentlemen, If you have not ready money with you, still think of the printer; and when you have read this advertisement, and considered it, you cannot but say, come, dame, (especially you inquisitive wedded men, let the bachelors take it to themselves,) let us send the poor printer a few gammons, or some meal, some butter, cheese, poultry, &c."

*Fiske, Dutch and Qauker Colonies, vol. i., pp. 248-257, and Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., pp. 548-557, giving extracts from Hamilton's speeches. See also Doyle, Colonies under Hanover, pp. 130–133; Roberts, New York, vol. i., pp. 256-257, 268–274.

Dr. Francis says that "the newspaper press is endeared to the feelings of Americans by the strongest considerations of patriotism. Franklin, the apostle of liberty, more than a century ago, published in a newspaper animadversions on the legislative enactments of Great Britain, relative to the colonies. The free strictures of the administration of Governor Cosby and his Council, printed in the Weekly Journal of the City of New York, by John Peter Zenger, roused the energies of a whole people, and to use the language of Gouverneur Morris, in a conversation with the speaker, the trial of Zenger, in 1733, was the germ of American freedom - the morn

ing star of that liberty which subsequently revolutionized America.'" Speech at the Fortieth Anniversary of the New York Historical Society, 1844; Proceedings, p. 86.

12

GOVERNOR CLARKE'S DISPUTE WITH ASSEMBLY.

On March 10, 1736, Cosby suddenly died, and thereupon ensued a long dispute between the members of the Council as to the proper person to act until the home authorities appointed a new governor. Finally, George Clarke was appointed to the office.* The Assembly now again asserted their right to make only annual grants for revenues, but Clarke, being offended at these proceedings, dissolved the Assembly. In the following election, however, the popular party triumphed. In their address to the governor, they say:

"We therefore beg leave to be plain with your honor, and hope you will not take it amiss when we tell you you are not to expect that we will either raise sums unfit to be raised, or put what we shall raise into the power of a governor to misapply, if we can prevent it; nor shall we make up any other deficiencies than what we conceive are fit and just to be paid, or continue what support or revenue we shall raise for any longer time than one year; nor do we think it convenient to do even that until such laws are

passed as we conceive necessary for the safety

of the inhabitants of this colony, who have reposed a trust in us for that only purpose, and which we are sure you will think it reasonable we should not act agreeably to, and by the grace

of God we will endeavor not to deceive them."

Deeming it unwise to push the contest with men of such decided sentiments, Clarke promised to coöperate in any measure calculated to promote the welfare of the colony. At the opening of the next Assembly, however, he reaffirmed his previous opin

* Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., pp. 561, 565. Roberts, New York, vol. i., pp. 279-281. Roberts, New York, vol. i., pp. 281-282; Bancroft, vol. ii., p. 255. A different version is given in Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., pp. 569-570.

ions regarding grants, and declared that unless the Assembly granted the revenue for as long a time as it had been granted by former Assemblies, he would not assent to any act which would continue the excise or for paying the colonial bills of credit. The House thereupon unanimously resolved that no bill would be passed for the grant of money, unless the governor would give assurance that the excise should be continued and that bills of credit would be redeemed. The governor then ordered the members of the Assembly to appear before him. He told them that "their proceedings were presumptuous, daring, and unprecedented; that he could not look upon them without astonishment, nor with honor suffer the House to sit any longer," and that it was accordingly dissolved. In 1741 the governor again attempted to coerce the Assembly into adopting his measures, and at that time charged them with having a settled purpose to become independent. The Assembly denied this, and the position they took was undoubtedly correct, for up to this time no one had the least idea of a

separation from the mother country. At last Clarke was compelled to yield, and he accepted whatever grants the Assembly were willing to make.*

In 1741 New York underwent an experience similar to the Salem witchcraft, which was generally known as the Negro Plot." A number of

"

* Roberts, New York, vol. i., pp. 287-288.

THE NEGRO PLOT.

fires had occurred, and the majority of them seemed to have been caused by design, a fact which aroused the suspicion of the citizens. The fires happened so frequently that the citizens became terrified and were only too eager to listen to any stories which might inculpate a possible victim. Some young women declared that there was a plot among the negroes to burn the entire city and to place one of their number in the governor's office. Without satisfying themselves as to the reliability of this story, the authorities placed a number of the negroes under arrest and committed them to prison. Gradually more witnesses came forward and still more negroes were accused, and several white men were also said to be connected with the plot.* Matters finally came to such a pass that by the time the trial arrived, not a lawyer in the entire city would volunteer to defend the supposed culprits, and even Chief Justice James Delancey exerted all his influence against the black men. Nearly all upon being brought to trial were condemned; 14 were burned, 18 were hanged, and 71 transported; but only two whites were condemned and sentenced to death. After the excitement had died down, as is usual in such cases, the people began to consider whether the negroes had been justly condemned. None of the witnesses were credible characters; they contradicted themselves in their evi

*Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., p. 581 et seq. VOL. II-2

13

dence, and it was finally seen that the project was of such a nature that none but the most deluded would have engaged in it. The two white men who had been convicted were respectable members of the community, but one of them was a Roman Catholic, which undoubtedly accounts for much of the feeling against him and the failure to exercise reason in his trial. While undoubtedly some of the accused were guilty of incendiarism, still there was no absolute proof that there had been any plot to burn the city, and the whole transaction cannot but be considered a disgrace to the colonial authorities of New York.*

In 1743 George Clinton, a younger son of the Earl of Lincoln, became governor of the colony. He at once brought himself into favor with the people by assenting to a bill which limited the duration of the present and all succeeding Assemblies.† In 1745, therefore, the Assembly reciprocated by adopting the measures which Clinton had recommended for defending the province against the French in Canada, war now having broken out between France and England at home. At this time also he placed

Lamb, City of New York, vol. ii., p. 582 et seq.; Dunlap's History of New York, chap. xxi.; Daniel Horsmanden's The New York Conspiracy of 1741; Smith's History of New York, vol. ii., pp. 70-71; Colonial Documents, vol. vi., pp. 186, 196, 199, 201-203; Roberts, New York, vol. i., pp. 288-295.

On the disputes between the governor and the Assembly see Smith's History of New York, vol. ii.; Stone, Life and Times of Sir William Johnson, vol. i.; N. Y. Col. Docs., vol. vi.

14

*

INDIAN INCURSIONS; BOUNTIES OFFERED.

William Johnson, a nephew of the famous Sir Peter Warren, in the Council and other high offices. Johnson was very intimate with the Mohawk Indians having been adopted by them as an honorary chief, and this fact led Clinton to appoint Johnson agent of the whole confederacy, ousting the Schuyler family, who for many years had filled that post with ability, devotion and honor. Johnson, however, proved equally as just and honorable in his dealings, and was beloved by both the Indians and the whites. In 1745 the Indians began to make frequent incursions into the English territories. Being successful in the majority of these, they became more daring and small parties ventured even as far as the suburbs of Albany where they lay in wait for stragglers beyond the limits of civilization. In November they attacked Saratoga, burned the fort, houses, mills and stables, and killed 30 and captured 100 persons.† In 1746, therefore, the Assembly determined to unite with the other colonies in an expedition against Canada. A large sum of money was appropriated to purchase provisions and other supplies for the army, and liberal bounties were offered to recruits. Re

* Parkman, Half Century of Conflict, vol. ii., p. 227 et seq.; Augustus C. Buell, Sir William Johnson, p. 26 et seq.; William E. Griffiths, Sir William Johnson and the Six Nations, p. 76.

Schuyler, Colonial New York, vol. ii., p. 115; Lamb, City of New York, vol. i., p. 299; Roberts, New York, vol. i., p. 299.

wards for scalps were also offered.* But the assistance promised by England failed to materialize, the other colonies delayed sending their reinforcements, and before everything was ready for the expedition the

* Roberts, p. 301; Lamb, pp. 595-596. Massachusetts also at that time passed an ordinance granting a bounty for Indian scalps, the original of which is in the possession of Mr. Willis B. Leonard of Pittsfield, Mass. The document reads as follows:

In the House of Representatives, April 23rd,

1747.

Whereas the encouragement already given for Scouting the woods, after the Indian Enemy, has been found ineffectual;

Therefore, Voted, that there be and hereby is, granted to be paid out of the Province treasury, the sum of Two hundred & Fifty pounds for each Indian killed & the Scalp produced to the governour and Council in evidence of each Indian captive taken Westward of Nova Scotia within Six months from this Time, by any Scouting Party of the Inhabitants of this Province that shall go with permission, or warrant for that Purpose, as voluntiers on that Service, the Money to be equally divided between the Persons concerned without respect to Office, that they be allowed One Pound of Powder, three Pounds of Bullets, and six flints, at their first setting out and also to be subsisted while scouting, such Parties to keep a correct Journal of their Marches and Proceedings.

Voted, also, the Sum of one hundred Pounds be allowed to any Soldier or party of Soldiers in the pay of this province, who shall within that Time Captivate or kill any Indian producing the Scalps as aforesaid and to any other person or Persons of this government that shall do the same, in his defence or in the Defence of any of his Majesty's Subjects in this Province, and all former grants of this nature heretofore passed by the court, excepting that on the 28th of January last are hereby superseded and set aside.

Sent up for concurrence J. Hutchinson, Spkr. In Council April 23, 1747.

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »