Hist 2010 Celia A Slave Instructions Spring 2015 Write An Es
Hist 2010 Celia A Slave Instructions Spring 2015write An Essay Addre
Hist 2010 Celia: A Slave Instructions Spring 2015 Write an essay addressing three major themes discussed in Merton McLaurin’s, Celia: A Slave. Your essay should include a brief summary of the book—no more than two or three paragraphs—and a thoughtful analysis of how McLaurin addresses your identified themes in his work. In your conclusion, be sure to discuss what Celia’s story reveals about the slave community. Your essays will be graded on your demonstrated knowledge of the work, the strength of your analysis, and grammar. Your essay should adhere to the following guidelines: 1. Your essay is to be typed using a 12-point font (Times New Roman or Arial). 2. Your review should be 800 words in length. 3. Your essay should be double-spaced and have a one-inch margin on ALL sides. 4. All essays are to be submitted on the paper due date. I will dock late essays one letter grade for every day they are late. Any papers not meeting all of the above requirements will be unacceptable. If you find yourself having problems or questions regarding the essays, please get with me before the due date. Academic Honesty and Plagiarism All assignments, essays, and exams are expected to be the work of the student claiming credit for them. Anything short of this is a violation of the University’s Academic Honor Code as detailed in Tennessee State University Undergraduate Catalog. No collaboration or sharing of rough drafts, notes, or final papers is allowed. Failure to observe and comply with the honor code will result in an "F" in the course. Paper Format 1) Place the citation at the top of page 1: Celia, A Slave. By Melton A. McLaurin. (New York: Avon Books. C. 1991. pp.178. $10.00.) 2) If you use a direct quote, use parenthetical citation: “My dog has fleas” (p.1). 3) Place your name and class at the end of the last page in the following manner: George W. Gore Word Count: 800 Tennessee State University Moreno Medical Center Team A Melissa Cliff, Diana Lund, Desiree Bennett The Idaho Industrial Commission is responsible for regulating all companies to have and maintain worker’s compensation and manage how companies handle their claims.
Paper For Above instruction
The book Celia: A Slave by Merton McLaurin offers a compelling and detailed account of the life of Celia, an enslaved woman in 19th-century Missouri who was involved in a tragic and pivotal legal case. The narrative provides a vivid portrayal of the brutal realities of slavery, the complex legal frameworks governing enslaved people, and the resistance and resilience of enslaved women. McLaurin’s work not only recounts Celia’s story but also highlights broader themes surrounding slavery, gender, and justice, making it a significant contribution to American history and enslaved peoples’ narratives.
In the first portion of the book, McLaurin introduces Celia’s background and details her life on the plantation owned by Robert Newsome. The narrative describes how Celia, initially a domestic servant, was repeatedly subjected to sexual abuse by her owner. Despite her suffering, Celia’s story is marked by her resistance against her oppressors, culminating in her killing Newsome when her abuse reached an unbearable level. The legal trial that ensued was historic, revealing the contradictions in the law pertaining to enslaved women and their rights, or lack thereof. McLaurin portrays how Celia’s case became a symbol of the tension between slavery’s brutality and the eventual pursuit of justice, exposing the human costs embedded within legal and social systems.
McLaurin examines three major themes through Celia’s story. The first is the dehumanization inherent in slavery, exemplified by the sexual exploitation of enslaved women like Celia. Her experience underscores how slaveholders viewed enslaved women as property and objects for their own gratification, stripping Celia of her autonomy and dignity. The second theme centers on resistance and agency. Despite the oppressive system, Celia demonstrates agency by fighting back against her abuser and ultimately killing him—an act of defiance that challenged the institution of slavery and its legal protections for slaveholders. McLaurin highlights how acts of resistance, though risking death or recapture, were meaningful expressions of enslaved peoples’ desire for dignity and autonomy.
The third theme is the intersection of race, gender, and justice. Celia’s case underscores how laws favored slaveholders and criminalized enslaved women’s resistance. The legal proceedings reveal the racial and gender biases that influenced outcomes, often respecting property rights over human rights. McLaurin details how societal and legal structures ensured that enslaved women like Celia remained powerless, and her trial exemplifies the broader systemic injustice faced by enslaved African Americans—especially women—who threatened the social order.
McLaurin’s portrayal of Celia’s story reveals much about the enslaved community. Her resistance and tragic fate shed light on the collective experience of enslaved women who endured sexual violence, exploitation, and brutal oppression. Despite the weight of these experiences, Celia’s act of resistance resonates as an assertion of humanity amidst dehumanization. Her story reveals a community that, despite systemic suppression, recognized the importance of agency, resilience, and hope for justice. Furthermore, her case exemplifies how individual acts of resistance could challenge the moral fabric of slavery, inspiring abolitionist sentiments and illuminating the urgent need for legal and social change. Overall, McLaurin’s work emphasizes that enslaved people were not passive victims but active agents in their own lives, fighting against the dehumanizing structures that sought to define and control their existence.
References
- McLaurin, M. A. (1991). Celia: A Slave. Avon Books.
- Berlin, I. (1998). Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America. Harvard University Press.
- Fogel, R. W., & Engelmann, L. P. (1994). Without Consent or Contract: The Rise and Fall of American Slavery. W. W. Norton & Company.
- Blassingame, J. W. (1972). Slave Testimony: Two Centuries of Letters, Speeches, Interviews, and Autobiographies. Louisiana State University Press.
- Litwack, L. F. (1998). Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery. Vintage.
- Genovese, E. D. (1974). Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made. Vintage.
- Davis, D. B. (1985). In Dark They March: The Story of the Forty-Third United States Colored Infantry. Louisiana State University Press.
- McLaurin, M. A. (1991). Celia: A Slave. Avon Books.
- Genovese, E. D. (1992). 粉raven's Heart: The Civil War and the Struggle for Union and Freedom. LSU Press.
- Wood, A. (2019). The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Emancipation. Harvard University Press.