Celia, A Slave

Name: Celia, A Slave
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Melton A. McLaurin
ISBN: 9781666136166

Author: Melton A. McLaurin, Daina Ramey Berry, Jennifer L. Morgan

Narrator: Mia Ellis

Unabridged: 6 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/29/2022

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, African American & Black Nonfiction, History, Women

Synopsis

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. 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.

Her act quickly discovered, Celia was brought to trial. She received a surprisingly vigorous defense from her court-appointed attorneys. 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.

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.

About Melton A. McLaurin

Melton A. McLaurin is professor emeritus in the Department of History at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He is the author or coauthor of nine books and numerous articles on various aspects of the history of the American South and race relations.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dusty on September 05, 2012

I found both this book's premise and presentation fascinating. The author, Melton McLaurin, writes in his introduction that too often "history" is no more than the cobbled stories of men at the head of their society; while Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, etc., certainly merit study, shifting our focus t......more

Goodreads review by Gaia on April 13, 2014

I'm very surprised by the low star ratings for this book because it was well-researched and very well-written. In sum: "A courtroom is a deadly place. People die in courtrooms, killed by words" pg. 140 Brainwashed by Franklin Vipperman The historical ramifications of what was done to Celia are profo......more

Goodreads review by Hana on December 03, 2016

It's hard to write good history books, and Celia, A Slave was, in my opinion, a perfect example of what NOT to do when writing a book about historical events. It was dry, overly detailed, and didn't catch my attention at all. (except the bit where the author went into meticulous detail about the dis......more

Goodreads review by Samer on January 10, 2013

Living as a female slave was truly scary. It's hard to believe that people were actually treated this way only 150 years ago.......more

Goodreads review by Barb on August 30, 2015

I enjoy reading about Kansas /Missouri history! I bought this book in Fulton, Missouri where Celia lived. A tragic true story of a slave who killed her abusive master and the landmark trial that followed. NOT a time of history nor the ending I wanted for this brave Celia! A sad time in our history!......more