Celia, a Slave
Moral Dilemmas of Celia, A Slave Melton McLaurin's book Celia, A Slave is the account of the trial, conviction, and execution of a female slave for the murder of her master in 1855. The author uses evidence compiled through studying documents from Callaway County, Missouri and the surrounding area during the middle of the Nineteenth Century. Although much of what we can determine about this event is merely speculation, we are able to guess the motives that contribute to the way in which many of the events unfold. Because of the details of the trial, many of the people involved probably faced several difficult decisions that led to the outcome of the trial. During the 1850s the United States was involved in a heated debate over the issue of slavery. Many of the residents of Missouri and nearby Kansas were fighting for or against the institution of slavery. The outcome of this trial was important because it could have a tremendous affect upon the way the legal system in Missouri viewed the rights of slaves, and the ways in which they would be forced to interpret the laws of the State in regard to how they where to apply to slaves. The first of the main characters we are introduced to is Celia's master, Robert Ne
wsom. Mr. Newsom was a wealthy landowner in Callaway County. In 1850, after the death of his wife, Robert Newsom purchased a fourteen year old slave girl from nearby Audrain County. The purpose, as far as McLaurin can tell for her purchase was as a replacement for Robert Newsom's wife. From the time that Newsom first acquires Celia, he begins to rape her on a regular basis. Although it was generally accepted as being morally wrong for a slave master to sexually abuse a slave, Robert Newsom seems to view her as his property, to do with as he pleased rather than as a human being. So the first of many ethical decisions is made, as Robert Newsom begins an unauthorized sexual relationship with his slave which lasts five years until his death in the summer of 1855. There is no way to know much about the sexual history of Celia before she met Robert Newsom, in fact McLaurin states that really nothing is know about her before 1850. Due to her young age, there is a very good possibility that her first sexual experience was with Newsom. Regardless of whether or not she was a virgin, the constant series of rapes by her master was sure to have a tremendous psychological affect upon her. It was this trama, combined with pressure from her boyfriend, another of Newsom's slaves named George, that drove her to decide to forcefully resist Robert's sexual advances toward her. Now we see her predicament, either continue to suffer his violations and lose the man she loves, or fight back and risk losing her life. When she decides to attack him as he enters her cabin on the night of June 23, she ends up killing him. Now in an effort to save her own life, she disposes of the body by burning it in her fireplace, rather than confessing to her crime and facing her punishment. The next day, as the search begins for Ro
Some common words found in the essay are:
Celia Slave, Nineteenth Century, Newsom Regardless, Callaway County, Mary Newsom, Robert Prewitt, Robert Newsom, Judge Hall, George George, Robert Newsom's, robert newsom, celia slave, callaway county, murder master, outcome trial, robert newsom's, protecting celia, aspects slavery, killed newsom,
Approximate Word count = 1214
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
