Introduction
A victim of slave trade that existed in America in the 19th century, Celia, a black woman is forced into slavery and raped by Newsom, her white master. He controls her unconditionally, which establishes the true nature of her future role in the Newsom household, much to the chagrin of the other inmates. Their relationship is seldom acknowledged and publicly condoned. Further rapes annoy her and she decides to put an end to her relationship with Newsom. Despite warnings, Newsom approaches her and Celia, to protect herself from his advances, strikes him on the head. It unfortunately leads to his death. Celia is innocent and Newsom’s death is accidental. She wants to establish a meaningful relationship with George, a black servant. She is not granted protection and ultimately is hanged to death. She is an “insider.” (Celia a Slave).
Main text
Newsom, a rich white, buys Celia, a black woman on the pretext of having a domestic servant to assist his daughters with cooking and household works. He rapes her on their return journey, thus forcing Celia into slavery. It is against moral codes yet the whites believe that ‘black bodies’ are meant to be ruled. She is denied freedom by Newsom, who uses her for his pleasures. He meets an accidental death which seals Celia’s life. (Celia a Slave).
George loves Celia but is afraid of Newsom. Secretly he meets Celia in Newsom’s absence and months afterward, Celia is pregnant. George wants Celia to end her relationship with Newsom. Celia agrees but unfortunately, in her attempts to check Newsom’s advances, she kills him. George is responsible for giving up Celia to the authorities when she burns Newsom’s body as they search for Newsom spreads. (Celia a Slave).
Judge Jameson is a wise man who in spite of being a slave owner is not personally in the ongoing slavery debates. Being political savvy and having the reputation as an excellent trial lawyer, he is acceptable to those on both sides of the conflict- state v/s Celia, a slave. He fights till the end to see to it that Celia is given protection of an existing law to a slave but in vain. His boldness and uprightness while arguing the case for Celia, is noteworthy. (Celia a Slave).
Admitting Missouri State: In an effort to preserve the balance of power in congress between slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820, admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. Furthermore, with the exception of Missouri, this law prohibited slavery in the Louisiana territory north of the 36* 30’ latitude line, in 1854, the Missouri Compromise was replaced by the Kansas – Nebraska Act. (Primary Documents in American History: Missouri Compromise).
Nat-Turner’s Rebellion: On August 20, 1831, in the evening, Turner and 6 other men met in the woods. At 2a.m., they went to the home of Turner’s master and kill his entire family. Then they went house to house, killing other whites. They gained the assistance of 50 to 60 slaves who helped them kill at least 50 whites. Some slaves were captured by the military and about 15 were hanged. Though Turner escaped and hid for 6 weeks, he was captured, imprisoned and sentenced to execution on November 5, 1831. On November 11, 1831, he was hanged and skinned. (McElrath).
Kansas – Nebraska Act: Kansas and Nebraska were important areas for growing wheat, corn, oats and rye and were, therefore, popular places for migrants from the eastern areas of America to settle. In 1854, Stephen A Douglas introduced Kansas – Nebraska bill to the Senate. These states could now enter the Union with or without slavery. (Kansas-Nebraska Act).
Emigrant Aid Societies: Before the Kansas –Nebraska bill became a law, a number of aid societies and cooperative associations were formed in the north, for the purpose of equipping Kansas with a sturdy yeomanry opposed to slavery. Eli Thayer was an important member. (Ward).
The judges, the lawyers and the jury were part of the slave system. The jury consisted of male members, having slaves and all except one was a farmer. They were all married and had children. Judge Jameson, Celia’s defense lawyer, too had slaves. The press accounts of the murder and the Newsom farm fueled local fears by reporting that the crime was committed with sufficient cause. No mention was made of Celia’s intimate relationship with the victim or her reasons for attacking him. These fears, along with Celia’s physical condition and the belief that her 2 children were in the house at the time of murder, led the community to believe that Celia did not intentionally kill Newsom.
The book tells us that Americans fight for justice at the cost of their lives. Through revolutions or attacks they gain the freedom they need. Individual independence and importance are cherished. They work for universal freedom from societal evils of all sorts.
Summary
I would recommend the book for future students of history as it is based on a fight for caste and gender rights. The book gives authentic evidence to support slavery, subjugation of women and recounts the story to the extent that any historian or a history student might be interested in it. The book lacks emotional appeal and the story is recounted in a direct, crude manner without the elements of a short story or fiction. The dates, in between spoil the continuity of events. At times the writer seems to have begun the paragraphs without any good link with the preceding paragraph, therefore it lacks seamless transition.
Works Cited
Celia a Slave. Answer.com. 2008. Web.
Kansas-Nebraska Act. amazon.co.uk. Web.
McElrath, Jessica. Nat Turner’s Rebellion. About.com: African-American History. 2008. Web.
Primary Documents in American History: Missouri Compromise. Web Guides. 2007. Web.
Ward, Carolyn. Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History. Tom & Carolyn Ward. 2002. Web.