Celia, a Slave Book Review Essay

Celia, A Slave is a story that takes many different historical facts from the era that the deem was placed in, and uses a slave named Celias story to tie them all in and show how these events that didnt directly affect her, would indirectly affect her, and the other slaves in this time as well.The author, Melton A. McLaurin, not just wrote the story of Celia in his book, entirely he also focused on other historical events winning place at the time to support his thesis that Celias case demonstrated what was happening on a global scale. He used facts such as the slave revolts in Haiti and the Dred Scott decision to elucidate a case on why things were so hard for slaves at the time in the fall in States, and how they affected Celia, and her case. McLaurin also used different people and organizations same the Border Ruffians and the Massachusetts Emigrant wait on company to show the culture and society of the time and place of Celias story.The slave revolts in Haiti would indire ctly affect Celia. Because the slaves revolted in Haiti, and actually won, it came as a wakeup call to the southerners. They knew that the slave population outnumbered their own, and if they revolted against them, they werent sure enough if they would be able to stop them. This made the Southerners even stricter when it came to bondage, and less lenient when it came to any types of escapes, or interruption of laws. This made it impossible for the jury in Celias murder case to believe that it she truly killed him in self-defense.The Dred Scott decision would directly affect her, because of the fact that the decision was still valid, and she, along with all the other slaves, werent protected by the U.S. Constitution, and were not considered U.S. citizens. This ruled out any argument that John Jameson, and the rest of her defense, would seeded player up with arguing her constitutional rights. Instead, they brought up things like, how it wouldve been possible for her to kill a man o f his size, and how it was possible that the bole wouldve been completely disseminated in a fire in a matter of hours. Thomas Shoatman also act to testify that after she striked Newsom the first time he threw his hand up to catch her, but the evaluate sustained prosecution objections to the defendants testimonies, because a majority of the jury and the judge himself were all slave owners. This even came as a problem for John Jameson at first, because he was defending a slave when he had whatsoever himself. The thing that really allowed him to relate to Celia though, was the fact that he had a daughter, and he wouldnt have wanted the same injustice fall on her if the roles were reversed.The Border Ruffians showed the culture and society of the time in Missouri. The compose ruffians would cross over into Kansas and vote for all things pro slavery related, and would beat Kansas citizens into voting for pro slavery as well. This was an example of the people that resided in Missour i, and how intent they were on making slavery legal in as many states as possible.The Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company also showed the culture of the time, but from the aspect of people who didnt want slavery. The company took advantage of the Kansas Nebraska Act to try and conk anti-slavery supporters to settle in the Kansas territory, to try and make it a slave free state. The company was crucial in settling Kansas, and making it a free slave state.The book was a good read, though a bit repetitive at times, and educated the reader about different issues at the time of Celias case that would affect her, and also affected slaves lives in at the time. It also would educate the reader to what it was like to live in the time of Celias case, and get an insight on what it was like for her, and others.