Essay about Celia, A Slave

This turns out to be an ironic contrast to life at the Weylin plantation, where a slave who visits his wife without his master's permission is brutally whipped. Perhaps a more painful realization for Dana is how this cruel treatment oppresses the mind. "Slavery of any kind fostered strange relationships," she notes, for all the slaves feel the same strange combination of fear,

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

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

Women were not only used for their labor, but were also exploited sexually. Slave owners felt they had the right to use black women for their own sexual desires, and felt they had the right to use their bodies for slave breeding. This obscenity between the master and slave were not only psychologically damaging for black women, but would also lead to physical abuse. In her narrative, Ms. Jacobs gives us a firsthand description of the abuse that would occur if she were to upset her master, “Some months before, he had pitched me down stairs in a fit of passion; and the injury I received was so serious that I was unable to turn myself in bed for many days”

The theme of Celia, A Slave to me is exploitation and slavery. In the time period that this book had taken place black slave woman were left alone to deal with the sexual abuse from not only their masters and their family members but other male slaves as well. Celia suffered from molestation from her master Robert for years until she had enough and decided to defend herself, which led to the death of Robert. After everyone found out what she had done she was put on trial on October 9th 1855. Because of the Missouri Slave Law, which states slaves cannot testify against their masters, Celia could not testify during her trial. Celia had made the claim that the death of Robert Newsom was self-defense and she never meant to kill him. But being that no one sympathized for her and there was no third party there to witness these claims, it was impossible for her to prove herself. The Missouri Slave Law allows slaves to defend themselves against their masters if their lives are in danger, but the law was silent when it came to slave woman defending themselves from sexual abuse. “While acknowledging that slave woman were used by masters for sexual favors, state studies of slavery, including Missouri’s fail to record charges against whites for rape of a female slave” (114). These laws were spread all

Every man, woman, and child that is born unto this earth is given one thing; free will. Or at least in theory. That is not to say that in every society, there are consequences for actions or that everyone is to be allowed to run rampant doing what they want. But most restrictions today, at least legally, are enforced so as to not infringe on someone else’s right to freedom. In Celia, a Slave, Melton A. McLaurin’s interpretation of events that happened to a young unfortunate slave in the antebellum period, we are shown a glimpse at the frustratingly futile effort fought to give a slave women the right to self-defense against someone who encroached on something that everyone should have the right to have. Melton has written many books that gives insight of life in the south, such as The Knights of Labor in the South, and Separate Pasts: Growing Up White in the Segregated South. His take on this historic trial gives such an honest insight that someone from anywhere else but the south, could not have given.

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.

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

Basing on the provided painting of the Virginian luxuries (Unknown, 1800), power dynamics that dominated in the slave society is evident as the slave owner seem to have the authority and taking the advantage over their slave. Physical and sexual abuse is inflicted on the slaves. This describes the roles of races during

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.

White explores the master’s sexual exploitation of their female slaves, and proves this method of oppression to be the defining factor of what sets the female slaves apart from their male counterparts. Citing former slaves White writes, “Christopher Nichols, an escaped slave living in Canada, remembered how his master laid a woman on a bench, threw her clothes over her head, and whipped her. The whipping of a thirteen-year-old Georgia slave girl also had sexual overtones. The girl was put on all fours ‘sometimes her head down, and sometimes up’ and beaten until froth ran from her mouth (33).” The girl’s forced bodily position as well as her total helplessness to stop her master’s torture blatantly reveals the forced sexual trauma many African females endured.

The limitation of this book is that this book could only dedicate about 10 pages in the slavery in Virginia. Since it covered so much time period, some details were overlooked.

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.

Slavery has always been viewed as one of the most scandalous times in American history. It may seem that the entire institution of slavery has been categorized as white masters torturing defenseless African Americans. However, not every slave has encountered this experience. In this essay I will focus on the life of two former slaves Harriet Smith and Mr. George Johnson and how in some cases their experience were similar as well as different in other aspects. The negative aspects of slave life were unquestionably heinous and for that reason especially, it is also important to also reveal the lives of slaves whom were treated fairly and with respect.