Celia, A Slave By Melton A McLaurin Critiqued
In the Introduction McLaurin uses court records, correspondences and newspaper accounts to share Celia’s story. His argument is “The lives of lesser historical figures better illustrate certain aspects of the major issue of a particular period” (such the morality of slavery) than to the lives of those who through significant achievements achieve national prominence.” Introduction xi
In chapter one Beginning McLaurin uses the eighteenth federal census of Callaway County Missouri Notes page 144. Robert Newsom moved his wife and two young children from Virginia to Missouri between 1819 and 1822. He purchased land on the middle river minor tributaries of Missouri river. He owned 800 acres he grew …show more content…
He owned eighteen horses, six milk cows, twenty-seven meat cattle, seventy-nine pigs, twenty-five sheep and two onyxes. His crops and life stock were valued at 1000 dollars his land was valued 3500 dollars. He owned five male slaves ages eighteen to thirty-one. His wife died in 1849 he had two sons who were grown with their own farm. His oldest daughter Virginia who had three children lived with him. Newsom’s youngest daughter was nineteen. Celia a slave was fourteen. The other person in Introduction was John Jameson. He was lawyer who owned property values at 3200 dollars including four slaves, two male and two female. He served in congress 1834 to 1836 and again in 1842 and 1846. He returned to his law practice in 1839. He had a wife a son and three daughters.
In Chapter Two The Crime is taking from court documents and testimony’s in State of Missouri vs. Celia slave notes page 151. Robert Newsom was sixty years old when he purchased Celia who was fourteen years old. Celia’s assigned task was to be the cook. Celia said that she was …show more content…
No copy of appeal document exists. On November the eleventh Celia and another slave named Matt who was also accused of murder escaped jail evidence shows this was deliberate attack by her attorney. The newspaper reported Matt was returned the next day November twelfth and Celia on November fifteen but in a letter to the supreme court by Jameson Celia was not taken back until after the sixteenth forcing the judge to set another date December 21st. On December 14 the Missouri supreme court ordered that in this case a stay of execution be refused. It was received and filed in circuit court on December 18, 1855. Celia was interrogated once again on the night of December 20. “she recanted her story denying any assistance but this time saying that as soon as she struck him the devil got in her and she struck him until he was dead.” Page (135) Celia was marched to the gallows and fell to her death at two thirty that Friday December 21, 1855. Celia final resting place is unknown Robert Newsom’s gravestone and remains are next to his wife in a field just off Callaway county road nine miles South of Fulton Missouri page
In the Introduction McLaurin uses court records, correspondences and newspaper accounts to share Celia’s story. His argument is “The lives of lesser historical figures better illustrate certain aspects of the major issue of a particular period” (such the morality of slavery) than to the lives of those who through significant achievements achieve national prominence.” Introduction xi
In chapter one Beginning McLaurin uses the eighteenth federal census of Callaway County Missouri Notes page 144. Robert Newsom moved his wife and two young children from Virginia to Missouri between 1819 and 1822. He purchased land on the middle river minor tributaries of Missouri river. He owned 800 acres he grew …show more content…
He owned eighteen horses, six milk cows, twenty-seven meat cattle, seventy-nine pigs, twenty-five sheep and two onyxes. His crops and life stock were valued at 1000 dollars his land was valued 3500 dollars. He owned five male slaves ages eighteen to thirty-one. His wife died in 1849 he had two sons who were grown with their own farm. His oldest daughter Virginia who had three children lived with him. Newsom’s youngest daughter was nineteen. Celia a slave was fourteen. The other person in Introduction was John Jameson. He was lawyer who owned property values at 3200 dollars including four slaves, two male and two female. He served in congress 1834 to 1836 and again in 1842 and 1846. He returned to his law practice in 1839. He had a wife a son and three daughters.
In Chapter Two The Crime is taking from court documents and testimony’s in State of Missouri vs. Celia slave notes page 151. Robert Newsom was sixty years old when he purchased Celia who was fourteen years old. Celia’s assigned task was to be the cook. Celia said that she was …show more content…
No copy of appeal document exists. On November the eleventh Celia and another slave named Matt who was also accused of murder escaped jail evidence shows this was deliberate attack by her attorney. The newspaper reported Matt was returned the next day November twelfth and Celia on November fifteen but in a letter to the supreme court by Jameson Celia was not taken back until after the sixteenth forcing the judge to set another date December 21st. On December 14 the Missouri supreme court ordered that in this case a stay of execution be refused. It was received and filed in circuit court on December 18, 1855. Celia was interrogated once again on the night of December 20. “she recanted her story denying any assistance but this time saying that as soon as she struck him the devil got in her and she struck him until he was dead.” Page (135) Celia was marched to the gallows and fell to her death at two thirty that Friday December 21, 1855. Celia final resting place is unknown Robert Newsom’s gravestone and remains are next to his wife in a field just off Callaway county road nine miles South of Fulton Missouri page