This book was well written and well researched but was a very dry read. Celia, a slave study guide from litcharts the creators. Mclaurin 22 this is celia s life for five years, and then an amorous relationship develops between celia and a male slave named george who also belongs to robert newsom. Mclaurins booklength analysis of the trial and execution of celia, a slave in callaway county, missouri who kills her master and burns his body in her fireplace. What kinds of historical documents help mclaurin reconstruct celia and her contemporaries lives. In the book celia a slave melton mclaurin describes in great detail.
Melton alonza mclaurin discusses the trial in 1855 of eighteenyearold slave celia for the murder of her sexually abusive master robert newsom in missouri. Find celia, a slave by mclaurin, melton a at biblio. Mclaurin s booklength analysis of the trial and execution of celia, a slave in callaway county, missouri who kills her master and burns his body in her fireplace. Newsom purchased celia with the intention to purchase a replacement for his wife 18. What followed was her arrest and a groundbreaking legal case known as the state of missouri vs. Celia had been bought at the age of fourteen by a male slaveholder named robert newsom. As he gives us celias story, mclaurin clearly explains the history of slavery in missouri and how it intertwined with the national politics of slavery. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. For this reason, people in callaway county, missouriincluding those who would eventually become celias jurorswere themselves caught up in.
The winner of the 2015 yale drama series playwriting competition was selected by nicholas wright, former associate director of londons royal court. Compare celia, a slave, by melton mclaurin to the pdf i provide you have read the book, celia, a slave, by melton mclaurin during the second half of our course. Celia died december 21, 1855 was an enslaved woman found guilty of the firstdegree murder of robert newsom, her owner, in callaway county, missouri. Celia, a slave trial under construction celia celiahome. Pdf downloads of all 1285 litcharts literature guides. Celia, a slave was an 1855 murder trial held in the circuit court of callaway county, missouri, in which an slave woman named celia was tried for the firstdegree murder of her owner, robert newsom. Growing up white in the segregated south for which he received the lillian smith award, and celia, a slave both georgia. Her defense team led by john jameson argued an affirmative defense. Flores, kimberly history 1218 11292017 celia, a slave in the book titled celia, a slave, written by melton a.
Celia, a slave summary and study guide supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. In the book celia a slave melton mclaurin describes in. Mclaurin is a professor of history at the university of north carolina at wilmington. Controversy over slavery was nothing new for missouri. Based on court records, correspondences and newspaper accounts past and present, celia, a slave is a powerful masterwork of passion and scholarship a stunning literary achievement that brilliantly illuminates one of the most extraordinary events in the long, dark history of slavery in america.
Mclaurin looks at the key concepts and main ideas to help you get a. Celia, a slave summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Nov 01, 1991 celia, a slave, a true story by melton a. Buy a cheap copy of celia, a slave book by melton a. Celias case demonstrates how one masters abuse of power over a single slave forced whites to make moral decisions about the nature of slavery. Celia, a slave revolves around the history of slavery in the united states, especially in the 1840s and 1850s. Although the brief and tragic life of celia, a slave, cannot provide a comprehensive theory with which to. Celia was an ordinary slaveuntil she struck back at her abusive master and became the defendant in a landmark trial that threatened to undermine the very. For your final exam, write an essay that relates the book to the unit essays that you have completed over the last five weeks.
Like celias challenge to her masters power over her sexual integrity was personal, violent, extreme, and unacceptable to a slaveholding society. This riveting and slim book tells what it can of the story of celia, a slave whose tragedy played out in rural missouri in the 19th century. In the year 1850, a prosperous missouri farmer named robert newsom buys a teenaged slave named celia. Celia, a slave summary and study guide supersummary. Get all the key plot points of melton mclaurins celia, a slave on one page. In the book celia a slave melton mclaurin describes in great. Mclaurin concludes that celia s version of the events that she acted alone in. Released in 1993, celia, a slave was written as a true story of a young slaved girl who broke some of the most unbreakable of the rules that applied to slaves which took more abuse than most of her peers. Choose one example of mclaurin s speculations based on the historical evidence and offer an alternative interpretation of this evidence.
Index to records of callaway circuit court proceedings in the matter of missouri vs. Celia, a slave is also an intensely compelling narrative of one woman pushed. Pdf celia a slave free pdf download read online free. Celia a slave download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. It solidified in legal terms that black slaves did not have the right. One intriguing story of slavery and the struggles with it was written by a guy named melton a. To have empowered slave women in the domestic arena, to have recognized their right to control their sexuality, would have undercut the power of the master to a degree that would have threatened the very survival of the institution. While celia awaited trial, there was a raging debate about slavery in kansas and elsewhere in the united states. Robert newsom is in many ways typical of his missouri community. On the night of june 23, 1855, she would later tell a reporter, the devil got into me and celia fatally clubbed her master as he approached her in her cabin. Barbara seydas stunningly theatrical celia, a slave is a vivid tableau of interviews with the dead that interweaves oral histories with official archival records.
Very little is known about celia s life before she lived on newsoms property, but its known that when newsom bought her, she was fourteen years old. Very little is known about celias life before she lived on newsoms property, but its known that when newsom bought her, she was fourteen years old. Chapter 4, as the title suggests, provides a backdrop of the events occurring at or around the time celia killed robert newsom. It was unacceptable because gender mattered in both the social conventions and in the laws that upheld slavery. At 14 years old, this young slavegirl was shipped out to work on a farm in missouri, and like a lot of slaves at the time, she was continuously abused and raped. Mclaurin details the events of a 19 year old slave girl who killed her master while defending herself against his sexual advances.
Mclaurin uses celias story to reveal the tensions that strained the fabric of antebellum southern society. Describes the events leading up to the crime for which celia was charged, the trial, appeal and execution. Click download or read online button to get celia a slave book now. Celia, a slave kindle edition by mclaurin, melton a download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Mclaurin 1999, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Mclaurin, a historian, argues that celias case offers us important insights into how together, gender and racial oppression render enslaved women. While there are too many historical events in the book to name, mclaurin notes the missouri compromise of 1820 and the bleeding kansas riots of the 1850s as being particularly important. Celia, a slave summary from litcharts the creators of. In 1850, fourteenyearold celia became the property of robert newsom, a prosperous and respected missouri farmer.
Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers. For nineteenyearold celia, a slave on a missouri farm, five years of being repeatedly raped by her middleaged owner was enough. Melton alonza mclaurin discusses the trial in 1855 of eighteenyearold slave celia for the murder of her sexually abusive master robert newsom in. At the age of 14, celia was purchased by aging and prosperous widower john newsom. Mclaurin 22 this is celias life for five years, and then an amorous relationship develops between celia and a male slave named george who also belongs to robert newsom.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading celia, a. Mclaurin looks at the key concepts and main ideas to help you get a deeper understanding of celia, a slave. Read celia, a slave pdf by melton a mclaurin avon in 1850, fourteenyear old celia became the property of robert newsom, a prosperous. Read celia, a slave pdf by melton a mclaurin avon in 1850, fourteenyearold celia became the property of robert newsom, a prosperous and.
Mclaurin includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 8 chapters, as well as several more indepth. Jun 15, 2018 read celia, a slave pdf by melton a mclaurin avon in 1850, fourteenyearold celia became the property of robert newsom, a prosperous and respected missouri farmer. This shocking event took place in calloway county, missouri during a tumultuous period in antebellum america in which the neighboring territory of kansas. Pdf downloads of all 1282 litcharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish.
Mclaurin, the story of a young slave woman is narrated. The true crime case that rocked the american slave power dig. This is the story of celia, a slave by melton alonza mclaurin. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading celia, a slave. Based on court records, correspondences and newspaper accounts past and present, celia, a slave is a powerful masterwork of passion and scholarshipa stunning literary achievement that brilliantly illuminates one of the most extraordinary events in the long, dark history of slavery in america. Celia, a slave melton a mclaurin pdf by dvizozoun issuu. Celia, 19, had endured five years of assaults by robert newsom, the missouri widower in his 70s whod purchased her when she was 14. Celia turns up pregnant with her third child in 1855, and the father of the child could be either man. In the book celia a slave melton mclaurin describes in great detail the true story of a female slave who murdered her master and then disposed of him by. Ultimately what mclaurin s analysis of the structure of this slave household indicates is the way that the racial subordination of black men and the gendered subordination of white women could leave the enslaved black woman, like celia, alone to confront the naked power of her. Oct 19, 2017 she warned the white slave owner that the rapes had to stop. Both a welltold historical narrative about a slave girl sexually exploited by her master, whom she later kills, and a thoughtful examination of the moral tensions that strained the fabric of the antebellum south. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis.
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