Rose Butler

Rose Butler (November 1799 – 1819) was an enslaved domestic worker in New York City. In July 1819, she was hanged for arson.[1][2] At the time, the only capital crimes in New York State were first-degree arson and murder.[3] She was the last person executed in New York State for arson.

Rose Butler's execution was a watershed in many respects. The context surrounding her crime and sentencing highlights community anxieties, shifting ideologies on race and status, and gives a glimpse of what the institution of slavery was like in New York City, a subject that is seldom discussed.[4]

  1. ^ Schlossberg, Tatiana (2015-11-18). "New York Today: Nature, Preserved". New York Times.
  2. ^ Jansen, Benjamin G. (2006). "An Authentic statement of the case and conduct of Rose Butler : who was tried, convicted, and executed for the crime of arson (1819)". In Smith, Sidonie A.; Watson, Julia (eds.). Before They Could Vote: American Women's Autobiographical Writing, 1819–1919. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 23–36 – via Project MUSE.
  3. ^ "Capital Punishment in the County of New York". Buffalo Courier (Buffalo, New York). July 24, 1857. p. 2.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Morowitz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).