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Title details for Celia, a Slave by Melton A. McLaurin - Available

Celia, a Slave

by Melton A. McLaurin
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<p>Illuminating the moral dilemmas that lie at the heart of a slaveholding society, this book tells the story of a young slave who was sexually exploited by her master and ultimately executed for his murder.</p><p>Celia was only fourteen years old when she was acquired by John Newsom, an aging widower and one of the most prosperous and respected citizens of Callaway County, Missouri. The pattern of sexual abuse that would mark their entire relationship began almost immediately. After purchasing Celia in a neighboring county, Newsom raped her on the journey back to his farm. He then established her in a small cabin near his house and visited her regularly (most likely with the knowledge of the son and two daughters who lived with him). Over the next five years, Celia bore Newsom two children; meanwhile, she became involved with a slave named George and resolved at his insistence to end the relationship with her master. When Newsom refused, Celia one night struck him fatally with a club and disposed of his body in her fireplace.</p><p>Her act quickly discovered, Celia was brought to trial. She received a surprisingly vigorous defense from her court-appointed attorneys, who built their case on a state law allowing women the use of deadly force to defend their honor. Nevertheless, the court upheld the tenets of a white social order that wielded almost total control over the lives of slaves. Celia was found guilty and hanged.</p><p>Melton A. McLaurin uses Celia's story to reveal the tensions that strained the fabric of antebellum southern society. Celia's case demonstrates how one master's abuse of power over a single slave forced whites to make moral decisions about the nature of slavery. McLaurin focuses sharply on the role of gender, exploring the degree to which female slaves were sexually exploited, the conditions that often prevented white women from stopping such abuse, and the inability of male slaves to defend slave women. Setting the case in the context of the 1850s slavery debates, he also probes the manner in which the legal system was used to justify slavery. By granting slaves certain statutory rights (which were usually rendered meaningless by the customary prerogatives of masters), southerners could argue that they observed moral restraint in the operations of their peculiar institution.</p><p>An important addition to our understanding of the pre-Civil War era, <i>Celia, A Slave</i> is also an intensely compelling narrative of one woman pushed beyond the limits of her endurance by a system that denied her humanity at the most basic level.</p>

  • Creators

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  • Release date

    August 29, 2012

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780820341590

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780820341590
      • File size: 2104 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 4, 1991
      This moving and masterfully told true story details the abuse and execution of a female black slave in antebellum Missouri. Melton, a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, provides vivid portraits of the teenaged Celia and her owner Robert Newsom, who repeatedly raped her in the five years following her purchase in 1850. Finally, Celia's love for another slave led to a confrontation during which she killed Newsom. Melton's account of her trial documents the hopelessness of a slave's plight; though many whites sympathized with Celia, she was put to death because slaves had no legal right to self-defense against their masters. Melton's rich narrative reads like a fine novel; his scholarship makes a vitally important contribution to understanding this chapter in American history.

    • School Library Journal

      June 1, 1992
      YA- -A remarkable biography of a young woman who at the age of 14 became the working and sexual slave of her widowed Missouri master. After bearing two of his children, and falling in love with a fellow bondsman, Celia tried to sever the sexual relationship with her enslaver. He raped her; she killed him while try to defend herself. She was convicted of murder and hanged at the age of 19. McLaurin has masterfully researched judicial, historical, and contemporary materials in preparing this compelling and thoughtful narrative. Enhanced by its sensitivity and brevity, this book is a provocative starting point for discussion of its many ethical, legal, historical, and social issues. It should be required reading for high school students.- Catherine vanSonnenberg, San Diego Public Library

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 1, 1993
      This moving and masterfully told true story concerns the abuse and execution of a female black slave in antebellum Missouri.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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