Caesar's Rebellion | Summer 2024

Caesar's Rebellion :

Length: 90 minutes 

The third of five in the core stories of the Black Gotham Experience starts in 1712 in the wake of more slave codes passed in British New York. The port city of New York has shifting political and class divisions that shape the environment of the enslaved leading up to the 1730s. Although stricter laws have been passed to limit Black life, the population of enslaved Africans continues to increase as does poor European indentures creating a large and loosely organized underclass that seek change. The result is a rebellion in 1741 known as “the Great Negro Plot” which is documented in a New York Supreme Court. The extensive journal by one of the justices stitches together a plot that evolved around a charismatic enslaved Black figure named Caesar. This journal gives an insightful look into slavery, colonial law, class, and politics.

Tours meet at the Museum of the American Indian at One Bowling Green New York, NY 10004. 

Train Access: 4 or 5 to Bowling Green. J or Z to Broad Street. 2 or 3 to Wall Street. R to Whitehall. 1 to South Ferry.