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Summary Of Celia A Slave

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Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, once said, “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” Jefferson was trying to say that slavery brought chaos to the people of America and that it should be stopped from spreading any further. In the 19-century before the Civil War, slavery has been a major dispute in the United States of America. In the book Celia, A Slave, by Melton A. McLaurin, is a riveting true story about a fourteen year old slave, named Celia, who murdered her slave owner because of all the mistreating she experienced. Celia’s life as an African American slave was so much different compared to the men because women slaves were not just about having to do work for their masters, but also they were …show more content…

Slavery was very important amongst the people, most especially in the south, because not only does it help them with their businesses and household tasks, but also it determined “a mark of social position.” (9) Robert Newman, a Missourian farmer, was no exception in the indication of the social status. He purchased five slaves: four adult males and a five-year-old boy, for the main purpose of labor in his farm. Soon after, he purchased Celia, a fourteen year old girl from the neighboring county. Newman’s sole purpose of acquiring Celia was to help with the domestic chores and for the sake of his sexual pleasures in replacement of his deceased wife, as McLaurin mentioned, “A healthy sixty years of age, Newsom needed more than a hostess…he required a sexual partner.” (18) He would then later begin to regularly visit Celia’s cabin to sexually assault her. Soon, Celia had enough of Newman’s sexual abuse and decided to have an end to all of the mistreatment. On Saturday, June 23, 1855, Celia has murdered her master with a large stick followed by burning him in the fireplace. Her crime resulted in for a trial to take

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