Celia, A Slave And The 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.

In the book titled Celia, a Slave, written by Melton A. McLaurin, the story of a young slave woman is narrated. Celia had been bought at the age of fourteen by a male slaveholder named Robert Newsom. Newsom purchased Celia with the intention to “purchase a replacement for his wife” (18). Newsom’s wife had passed away a few years earlier, so “he required a sexual partner” (18). Throughout her stay at the Newsom household, Robert Newsom consistently raped and sexually exploited Celia. Celia’s lover, George, gave her an ultimatum saying that if she did not stop having intercourse with Newsom, George would leave her. Stricken with anxiety over possibly losing her lover and determined to stop Newsom’s behavior, Celia beat Newsom to death and burned his body in the fireplace. Celia went to trial, was convicted guilty for the murder of Robert Newsom, and was sentenced to death. Celia, being both a woman and a slave, had to endure twice the amount of hardships in an era controlled by “the sexual politics of slavery,” which was characterized by the exploitation of slaves both financially and sexually, unfair power dynamics, and little legal recourse.

his mistress, Celia was soon purchased. At the age of 14, she became a white man’s sexual

In "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl", Harriet Jacobs writes, "Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women" (64). Jacobs' work shows the evils of slavery as being worse in a woman's case by the gender. Jacobs elucidates the disparity between societal dictates of what the proper roles were for Nineteenth century women and the manner that slavery prevented a woman from fulfilling these roles. The book illustrates the double standard of for white women versus black women. Harriet Jacobs serves as an example of the female slave's desire to maintain the prescribed virtues but how her circumstances often prevented her from practicing.

She dragged the body to the fire near her room. Knowing that her crimes would draw attention of the white community, Celia fled the plantation, creating a situation where questions were asked of all of the other slaves.

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

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 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.

During the antebellum South, many Africans, who were forced migrants brought to America, were there to work for white-owners of tobacco and cotton plantations, manual labor as America expanded west, and as supplemental support of their owner’s families. Harriet Jacobs’s slave narrative supports the definition of slavery (in the South), discrimination (in the North), sexual gender as being influential to a slave’s role, the significant role of family support, and how the gender differences viewed and responded to life circumstances.

When you have slaves that is showing people the amount of wealth you have. The slave owner that purchased Celia Robert Newsom already owned five. “While it is possible that Newsom harbored some moral ambiguity about slave ownership, it is far more likely that he regarded it as a fitting reward for his years of labor, an indication of the social status he achieved through his own efforts” (McLaurin 8) When Celia enters the Newsom farm at the age of fourteen she is raped by her master on the way to the house. It is showed that he purchases her after the passing of his wife. One of the lines in the book says “ a healthy sixty years of age, Newsom needed more than a hostess…he requires a sexual partner.” (McLaurin 18) So people won’t have suspicions on what’s

Melton A. McLaurin wrote Celia, A Slave which tells the story of Callaway County, Missouri in a time that the question of whether to continue slavery was on the forefront of everyone’s mind. Missouri happened to be in the heat of the slavery debate before and during the main events of the novel because of the Missouri Compromise and the large amount of people that took the journey west to start fresh in the new state. The book begins by describing Robert Newsom, his family, his steady accumulation of wealth, and the growth of Callaway County and surrounding areas in Missouri. McLaurin then tells us of Celia, a fourteen year old girl that Newsom took as a slave primarily for his sexual desires and escapades. The crime detailed in the book, however,

Valerie Martin’s Novel Property is an engrossing story of the wife of a slave owner and a slave, whom a mistress of the slave owner, during the late 18th century in New Orleans. Martin guides you through both, Manon Guadet and her servant Sarah’s lives, as Ms. Gaudet unhappily lives married on a plantation and Sarah unhappily lives on the plantation. Ms. Gaudet’s misserableness is derived from the misfortune of being married to a man that she despises and does not love. Sarah, the slave, is solely unhappy due to the fact that she is a slave, and has unwillingly conceived to children by Ms. Gaudiest husband, which rightfully makes Sarah a mistress. Throughout the book, Martin captivates the reader and enables you to place yourself in the

Slavery has always been the most dreadful phenomena of our world. Slavery, by itself looks so unusual and provokes mixed feelings from the heart of each person. In other words, slavery change a human being into a “thing” or even some type of consumer item. However, a fugitive slave, Frederick Douglass writes the novel called “The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass” to reveal how the slavery system works. Douglass’ narrative resembles not so much an autobiography as a memoir. If we read this novel closely, women often appear not in a primary plot, but in a short passage and as a vivid images; specifically, an image of abused bodies. Douglass associates women with suffering. Also, he gives an understanding

The book Celia, A Slave by Melton A. McLaurin is about the trial and execution of a slave in Callaway county named Celia. Robert migrated westward to seek cheap land. He was a widow and had two sons and two daughters who still lived with him. In 1850 a Missouri farmer named Robert Newsom buys a teenaged slave named Celia. At the time Robert purchased Celia there was an intense debate about slavery throughout America. After buying Celia Newsom raped her on the way to his farm. He would rape her for the next five years she was his slave. Within the five years on the farm Celia has two children for Newsom. Celia becomes involved with another slave on the farm named George. Once George finds out about Celia and her masters relationship he gives her an ultimatum telling her if she doesn’t end it he’ll leave her. While pregnant with her third child Celia tells Newsom’s daughters about their father telling them to tell him to back off because she’s very sick. When Newsom didn’t listen to Celia she struck him with a pole and burned his body in her fireplace. When the family found out she was convicted and hanged.