Celia A Slave Analysis

Imagine being ripped away from your family, friends, and home; being forced to labor for someone you’ve never met with no compensation and being told that you were not a person, but property. While in our current era it may seem bizarre, it was once a common practice here in the United States. The institution of slavery caused many problems for the people of the U.S., problems that were debated even before the founding of our country. Forcing humans to labor and demoralize themselves for the benefit of someone who was deemed superior, and in return be labeled as property, always in fear or your life and welfare of your family. Though not everyone in the United States had these views, it created a political and geographical rift which, eventually, …show more content…
But one has to ask, what was the reasoning behind the institution of slavery and why was it allowed to grow and become the beast that it was? In examining one story of a young female slave in Missouri, it details the hardships and pain that slaves faced in 1855, and how the people who supported the institution continued to control and allow these things to happen, even with fear of revolt against slave masters and the growing number of abolitionists. In this case in particular, Celia, a slave with no rights, a person regarded as property, was put on trial for the murder of her master. Why was Celia’s case important during this time and why did she have a trial if she was regarded as property?
Robert Newsom, a well to do farmer and the owner of Celia,“had grown to adulthood in the slaveholding society of Virginia, where slave ownership had long been a mark of social position”(McLaurin). Some time in the early 1820’s, Robert moved his wife and family to “the rich river bottom lands” (McLaurin) of Callaway County,Missouri . Several lectures have described most of the population in the south as “selfish” and describe them as people …show more content…
Newsome had told Celia that he would be going to her cabin later on that day. Celia, pregnant and claiming to be sick, hit Newsome over the head with “a large stick”(McLaurin) in attempts to discourage his sexual advances towards her. Her motive was at the request of George, another male slave on the farm whom she was having relations with, she was to cut off ties with Newsom immediately. To satisfy George, she obeyed. After bashing Newsome over the head she then disposed of the body by incinerating Newsome in her fireplace. This immediately brings up the question as to why Celia would commit such a harsh act against her master? The logical answer behind this more than likely stems from the years of sexual abuse and “exploitation”(McLaurin) by Newsom. The next day the disappearance was noticed by the Newsom daughters immediately and a search ensued. The search led to the investigation of Celia and George, by Newsom’s neighbor, Jefferson Jones. Jones was able to get Celia to confess to the murder, but unable to get her to identify if there was an accomplice. Celia claimed that she had acted alone, not choosing to disclose her apparent relationship with George. The following morning, June 25, “the official case of the State of Missouri versus Celia, a slave began.”(McLaurin) The slaveholding state of Missouri was going to take a slave, a person considered as property to trial over the murder of her master.

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Celia A Slave Analysis