"Powerful...beautifully written...an invaluable contribution to Southern history, women's history and the
history of slavery."
-- Dallas Morning News
"Compelling. ..a shocking tale...a remarkable account...McLaurin succeeds admirably in using Celia's story
to raise larger issues about the meaning of American slavery for both blacks and whites, for both women and men."
-- The New York Times Book Review
"Vivid...m oving and masterfully told...McLaurin's rich narrative reads like a fine novel; his scholarship
makes a vitally important contribution to understanding this chapter in American history."
-- Publishers Weekly
"Excellent ...a remarkable story...McLaurin is both scrupulous and imaginative in his interpretation of
the evidence, which sometimes presents glimpses of slavery that are almost never revealed in other accounts."
-- The New York Review of Books
"Eloquent.. .Her story is enough to give you the sort of anger that never goes away."
-- Chicago Tribune
Submitted by Publishers, July, 2001
Summary
Celia was only 14 when she was purchased by John Newsom. On the journey back to his farm, Newsom raped the young
girl, beginning a horrifying pattern of sexual abuse that would last for years. Finally she confronted him, struck
him fatally with a club, was brought to trial and eventually hanged. An important addition to our understanding
of the pre-Civil War era.
The author attempts to reconstruct the life story of Celia, a Missouri slave who killed her sexually abusive
white master, Robert Newsom. She was hanged in 1855. "McLaurin juxtaposes the story of Celia's inquest and
trial, extending from June to October 1855, with the {debate} . . . over attempts to legalize slavery in Kansas
Territory. . . . At a time of such national turmoil over slavery, Judge William Hall, a Democrat with strong Unionist
feelings, was determined to show that a slave like Celia could receive what he considered a fair trial. But {the
author argues that} the Kansas issue inflamed Missouri politics in ways that may have worked as much against Celia
as in her favor." (N Y Rev Books) Index.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 : Beginnings
Chapter 2 : The Crime
Chapter 3 : Inquisition
Chapter 4 : Backdrop
Chapter 5 : The Trial
Chapter 6 : The Verdict
Chapter 7 : Final Disposition
Chapter 8 : Conclusions
