Analysis Of The Book ' Celia A Slave '

In the summer of 1855, a slave named Celia committed a crime that would test the laws and precedents placed on slaves in Missouri during this time period. Celia was only fourteen when purchased by a slave owner, Robert Newsom in 1850. Five years after being purchased, she murdered her owner in self-defense because he tried to rape her. Throughout the 1800’s, slaves had few rights, if any at all. Celia, A Slave brings up many questions about these rights because of the controversy surrounding a black woman and her white owner. Many of these questions were also sparked because of the brutal crime Celia committed.

our generation of the horrific trades of slavery. The story of Celia is an emblem of the racial

Released in 1993, Celia, A Slave was written as a true story of a young slaved girl who broke some of the most unbreakable of the rules that applied to slaves which took more abuse than most of her peers. The work as a whole

Harriet Jacobs wrote, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” using the pseudonym Linda Brent, and is among the most well-read female slave narratives in American history. Jacobs faces challenges as both a slave and as a mother. She was exposed to discrimination in numerous fronts including race, gender, and intelligence. Jacobs also appeals to the audience about the sexual harassment and abuse she encountered as well as her escape. Her story also presents the effectiveness of her spirit through fighting racism and showing the importance of women in the community.

In Celia, a Slave, written by Melton A. McLaurin, the relationships of race, gender, sexuality, power, law, and slavery in the antebellum South is revealed by Celia’s case. In antebellum South, many things dictated a person’s worth, but the race of a person was the number one factor. If a person was of a race other than Caucasian, such as being Black, then he or she would live in the United States as one of two classifications: slave or freed slave. Of these two classifications, both were thought as being subpar humans when compared to white citizens. Due to these beliefs regarding Blacks, slave and free, Blacks themselves were unable to protect themselves from slave masters and in most legal standings (McLaurin 137). This means that Blacks did not have the same citizenship as white people because a slave was not a citizen in the eyes of the law but the human property of his or her master. Gender is the second idea that dictated a person’s worth and character. Males, white particularly, always held more power and sexual control over the women of the antebellum South. White women, when married, became the legal property of her husband (139). Even if a woman was not married, then she was still considered the property of her father and under his protection until she was given away. For example, Virginia Waynescot and Mary Newsome both lived with their father, Robert Newsome (10-11). By living with their father, the two daughters basically handed over their power because Robert

She was forced to have sex with Robert Newsom for years, and as a result had two kids from him. Celia wanted to continue with her relationship with George, another enslaved black owned by Robert Newsom, therefore she decided to stand up to Newsom and his hurtful actions. Celia confronted Newsom before the incident to inform him not to come to her cabin that night and if he did she would harm him. This was Celia laying out her expectations and letting Newsom know that she was not okay with the sexual abuse. It all comes down to Celia protecting and defending herself from Newsom taking advantage from her. Black slaves were faced with sexual exploitations from white men, especially their owners, female slaves had a few options but to submit to these demands. Celia warned Newsom of what was to come if he continued to press her to have sex with him, so in the end she killed Newsom out of self-defense and to protect her two children. Celia did not want to have to kill Newsom. She did not have a gruesome plan like the plans Nat Turner and his followers had in killing all the innocent white men, women, and children.

The book “Celia A Slave” by Melton A. McLaurin is based on the true accounts about a female slave named Celia who was tried in Missouri for the murder of her master Robert Newsom and was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to death in 1855. I believe Celia faced adversity through her legal battle because of other influences that ultimately dictated the outcome of a guilty verdict from the jury. Evidently Celia’s Jury took place in the Antebellum period during the time when tensions were high not just because of slavery.

Melton McLaurin vividly describes the life of a sexually abused slave who fought back in the non-fictional memoir titled Celia, A Slave. As the story began, the 1800s were impassioned with one civil disagreement between two sides of the United States—whether the nation should legally end or perpetuate human enslavement (16). Slavery was particularly and heavily supported by the citizens of the Calloway County, the home of Robert Newsom (19). The proof of increased crop production through slave labor convinced Newsom to begin his investment in black slaves (20). Having an increased number of farmhands allowed Newsom more time for relaxation and a higher social status. Soon, after understanding the ease of obtaining human property, Newsom

Celia, a slave was purchased by Robert Newsom sometime in 1850. On the way back from Audrain to Callaway Newsom raped Celia establishing the relationship of master and slave. Celia’s verdict of Guilty in 1855 for the murder of Newsome is not the outcome I would have come to in my opinion. Although hard to believe that Celia did the act of murdering Newsome alone. Many women have proved to have adrenaline in times of great fear, like when a mother see’s her child hurt by another. Although Celia is a slave she is a human first. These Acts sadly are all a disadvantage to her trial as well as her verdict as they show that they could have helped her if passed and had the support

In the novel, Celia Garth, by Gwen Bristow, the struggles and crucifying aspects of the Revolutionary War took place in a prominent area, Charleston, South Carolina. The war had been going on for nearly five years when this book was entitled, some may think residents would be terrified and cause hectic behavior ,but some were pleased by the rebels. “ They brought guns for the fighting men, plows and tools for the home folks, silks and looking glasses for the people rich enough to ignore the war” (Bristow 9). As the readers read the novel, they might not recognize the symbolism, “green”. Gwen Bristow creates a dichotomy in the book Celia Garth with the color green as a symbolism for several aspects throughout the book whether

Celia, a Slave is the epitome of the relationship between slaves and their owners and also the slaves and other whites in the 1850’s. This is based on her interactions with her owner Robert Newsom and her reactions mainly with the community involved in her court case. These relationships affected more so the women slaves rather than the men slaves because of their weaker nature as perceived by the sexual differences of the time period between men and women in general. Slavery is questioned by the morals of the Northerners and some Southerners though it is common in the South so most Southerners reinforce the ideas of slavery with their own morals, believing slaves as meaningless because of their difference.

Celia Garth written by Gwen Bristow is about a young girl named Celia who lived in Charleston, South Carolina during the American Revolution. She had blond hair with brown eyes and a sassy face . She worked in a fashionable dressmaking shop. Bristow uses circumstances in Celia life to show how experiences creates maturity and depth when a person is willing to fight and overcomes the obstacles of war and relationships.

The first African slaves arrived in North America around 1619 and settled in present day state of Virginia. Their main purpose was to aid in the production of profitable crops such as cotton and tobacco, along with cooking, washing clothes, and harvesting other crops. When the slaves made a forced journey from Africa to North America their captors treated them in the most inhumane way possible. Packed liked sardines into a boat for a journey across the Atlantic Ocean, the slaves arrived in North America where plantation owners purchased them and put them to work for ridiculous hours and even beat them as a punishment. Gender status had an important role in the treatment of slaves and the tasks slave masters forced them to do. Explored in the following books: Celia a Slave, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and The American Promise Volume 1, male and female slaves were similar yet had different experiences. Plantation owners purchased them for different reasons, forced them to complete different tasks, made them suffer similar punishments, and whites considered slaves as the inferior race.

In the trial that involved Celia due to the facts given, the jury ignored the humanity of the slaves and made an unrighteous decision to condone in the sexual abuse and exploitation of young, helpless, female slaves. To the courts and jury that may have been the “morally correct” thing to do, but anyone in their right mind and who has a heart know that, that is physically, mentally, and most

Melton McLaurin wrote the book Celia: A Slave in an attempt to inform others about the sufferings and injustices that many slaves endured over the course of time that slavery prevailed. Celia was a slave who was bought in 1850 by a man named Robert Newsom, who began raping her before she even reached her new home in Calloway County, Missouri. After repeatedly being raped against her will, Celia was compelled to retaliate against her master, Robert Newsom and ended up murdering him in the process. This incident occurred during a time that many states strongly enforced their supportive stances on slavery. Throughout Celia’s trial, several moral dilemmas were prominent during this time period, including: the sexual exploitation of slaves, the “crimes” that were committed throughout this story, and how little women’s influence was during the time of this historical account.