The Theme Of Celia, A Slave: A Trip To Slavery And Injustice

Great Essays
Celia, A slave: A trip to Slavery and Injustice
The book Celia, A slave, by Melton A. McLaurin is an interpretation of one incident that depicted common slave fear prior to the Civil War in the United States. The author uses the account of the young female slave that was constantly struggling with rape and injustice 's hardship, that can be extremely violent in today 's naïve society. The story of Celia offers important insights on how the gender and racial oppression left the female slaves powerless to sexual exploitation of their owners. The topic of slavery was so narrowly avoided by everyone because it was too delicate of a situation to be handled. Not handling the growing issue of slavery, caused the United States to crumble and divide
…show more content…
The judge did not want to take any rash decisions that could create a debacle and fuel the fight against slavery more furious. This led to the judge for denying every request from the defense to change the jury 's decision. The judge wanted to have a quick and a silent case as much as possible due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Luckily, there was still some hope for Celia, as she was entitled to Sec. 29 of the second article of the Missouri statutes stating that, "to take any women unlawfully against her will and by force, menace or duress, compel her to be defiled" (McLaurin, 107). The law describes itself as it was unethical during the 1800 's and even today in the 21st century for women to be violated against their will. The arguments posed by the defense in Celia 's case, posed an immediate threat, one of enormous magnitude to the slaveholders of the antebellum south. Each side presented their argument, and when both had rested, the jury was given their instructions, and not surprising as they returned a guilty verdict, and Celia was sentenced to death by execution on November 16, 1855. Jameson and the rest of Celia’s legal team felt the judge had not acted impartially as he was required to do by law and so they applied for an appeal. Judge Hall denied the appeal, and Celia’s team decided to …show more content…
It is not only socially unacceptable, but morally sickening. It degrades humanity at it 's worst level. All people were created equal in dignity and rights. They are humans just as their masters who owned them. In America, many cases of slavery were constantly a subject of debacle around the country. The topic was so delicate, that it literally divided the country and caused an all-out war amongst the north and the south. The case of Celia presents the life of a slave and it 's aftermath. The case provides all the owners of slave, at some point, a personal moral dilemma. This debacle caused a fear among the southerners who owned slaves. It would have challenged their authority and the premises of patriarchal slaveholding society. The effects of the political aspects of slavery reached into the courtroom and denied her the justice that the court system is there to provide, a fair trial. The story of Celia shows the immoral aspects of slavery and how it led those involved in the institution, and even some not involved to decisions that where even more wrong than the slavery

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    The argument of this story is if Celia deserved a fair trial and also if she received a fair trial. In my opinion, it is not fair the way the trial was handled because she was overthrown by men who had most likely had the same intentions as Newsom did with their own slaves. These people who were appointed to defend in this trial were all for slavery, so she did not have much defending on her part. The author definitely makes a better understanding for the audience to the question of fair trials on black slaves in this time period. In this time period it was normal for white men to have affairs with their slaves but some it was forced upon and the way slaves were tried and treated was unfair and wrong.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Deborah Gray White, author of Ar’n’t I a Woman? Female Slaves in the Plantation South, courageously plunges into the research and understanding of the slave experience through race and gender. The overall slave experience of the antebellum South is often represented by the male experience. For the first time, White brings forth an understanding of slave life through the female lens. White reasons that the female slave experience differed from the male slave experience due to the assigned gender roles.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She lost the case despite being defended by the most prominent attorneys and she was sentenced to hung in public. Slavery and legal system failed the black people who were considered properties of the white people. McLaurin quoted, “Sexual assault on a slave woman by white was considered trespass, not a rape and owner cannot be charged with trespassing his own property” (111). This shows that Celia’s rape was justified and not a crime in Missouri. McLaurin is a professor and an author who emphasizes on American History Literature on race relations.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Death Of Robert Newsom

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Before we can even talk about why there were charges against Celia and what were the circumstances; first, we need to talk about the events that led to the murdering of Robert Newsom. It all started in 1850, when Celia a name of a young slave girl who was bought a man named Robert Newsom who was from Missouri. He was an owner of a plantation in Callaway County and purchased Celia at the age of 14. We still clearly do not know about her life before she was bought by the Newsom family. Robert Newsom who was a recent widow raped Celia when he was taking her back to the farm.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The jury did finally decide that the defendant was not guilty and Abina was set free from…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Celia A Slave Analysis

    • 1077 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Civil War was imminent but what pushed America over the edge was a female slave named Celia. This essay explores the tragic story of Celia: A Slave written by Melton A. McLaurin by examining the social position of black and white women, by exploring Celia’s murder trail and by considering the lack of moral in the sexual exploitation of slave women. Celia: A Slave shows how warped the moral in the South was during that time and how in the end they were forced to face the dire consequences of their lack of…

    • 1077 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She was born into slavery, but she did not know she was a slave until she was six years old. She lived a pretty good life and happy childhood with her mother, father, and brother. This is why did not know she was a slave until her mother died. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is the only nineteenth-century slave narrative whose genesis can be traced, through a series of letters from Jacobs to various friends and advisors (Jacobs, 222). She wrote the slave narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl to help readers understand what she and other slaves were going through during this time period.…

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    McLaurin speculates that the master brought her in not just as a slave, but a substitute for his wife who had died. “A healthy sixty years of age, Newsom needed more than a hostess…he required a sexual partner” (21). However, he did not want to portray Celia as a sex slave since such a move could be potentially scandalous. To cover up his intentions, Newsom made Celia his household cook and granted her some privileges, including having her own cabin close to the family house. Traditionally, slaves were confined in small quarters with little privacy; therefore, the treatments that Celia received demonstrated the unique position she occupied at the farm.…

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The jurors were misled on how they could reach their verdict. They could not use self-defense as a reason to come up with a not guilty verdict because the Jurors made it very restrictive in the critters and reasons for self-defense. Celia was seen equally for first degree murder later She was hanged for the murder of Newson. In conclusion Celia’s shows the sad truth behind slavery and what some had to endure during their time as a slave proving the disadvantages of being a woman slaves who was violated.…

    • 1255 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Celia was condemned from the start, her truths did not set her free. The legal system says, “Southern society insisted that the law uphold the keeper’s property rights, while recognizing that as a human being, slaves possessed certain rights, including an inviolable right to life.” (McLaurin…

    • 1531 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Knowing the troubles African American women went through to resist rape and attempt to escape the wrath of slavery solidifies the importance of Franny Fern’s abolitionist agenda. There is no good in female slaves obtaining freedom just to be catapulted back into an oppressive culture where males dominate their wives and women could not support themselves financially. Both Fern and Jacobs knew the harm associated with complacency and instead, promoted women’s autonomy. Fern and Jacobs’ success extends to their ability to relate their lives to a common audience and represent the restrictiveness of patriarchal influences in a unique way. Both women are clever and confident in their literary and practical approaches to oppression.…

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In “Ar’n’t I a Woman? Female Slaves in the Plantation South” by Deborah Gray White goes into detail about the lives of black women in slavery. In the last four chapters of “Ar’n’t I a Woman? Female Slavery in the Plantation South” White informs the audience about the hardship black enslaved woman had to face during this time such as, the difficulties that came with pregnancies, child care, husbands and separation. The last four chapters shared a common theme of black enslaved females and their unfair treatment, characterization and opportunities.…

    • 1534 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the end, due to lack of evidence to prove that Celia acted upon self-defense, Hall charged Celia a verdict of guilty in first degree murder of Robert Newsome. In the end, although, Hall faced moral implication with the decision he had to make, he abided the law and remained impartial throughout the…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Solomon Northup: A Slave As A Slave

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 2 Works Cited

    She embodies the struggles that all enslaved women have to endure. First, she is forced to maintain her rate of five hundred pounds of cotton every day or be punished while most men are unable to pick a mere three hundred pounds. Second, she is victimized by both her master and mistress. The master assaults her sexually and mercilessly. On the other hand, the mistress, instead of sympathizing with her plight as a fellow woman, subjects her to physical and psychological abuse (Stevenson 1).…

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 2 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Slavery has always been an awful thing. But It can be denied it play a major role in our history. For the purpose of this historiographical paper I will focus in slavery in the United States in colonial times. Focusing on African women something that many historian agree hasn’t been talk enough.…

    • 1405 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays