Professional Review; Celia, A Slave by Melton A. McLaurin
The era of Lincoln, the Civil War, The Dredd Scott Decision all of these phenomenons bring attention to the issue of  sectionalism and slavery and the ways in which it shaped our county not only politically but socially. But, as is common with most events in American history, individuals with a great deal of national prominence are essentially telling the story ending it with glory and leaving out the harsh realities that help individuals understand complex institutions in their entirety like slavery. A major theme exposed by Mclaurin  is the reality that the lesser members of society such as those deemed insignificant (like Celia) better illustrate certain aspects of major issues better than those of national prominence.  In Celia, A Slave, the reader is confronted with the harsh daily realities of slavery such as the persistent sexual activities Master Newsom imposed among young Celia without her consent and the Newsom family’s as well as the neighbors of Newsom’s ability to condone this practice. Overall Celia’s case demonstrates the moral dilemmas faced by blacks and whites alike. Ultimately the author’s thesis is that, each of these individual decisions was also a judgement about the morality of slavery itself. Individual responses to the moral dilemmas posed by slavery were inevitably linked to the political and social aspects of society. It was regarded by many especially by Northern Democrats like Atchison that slavery was a necessary evil, which of course helped him fire up the non-abolitionists (especially vigilante groups like the border ruffians) in their quest for the expansion of slavery. The future of slavery not only was a question in and of itself but a question  of personal morals and whose bandwagon (meaning political party) you were willing to jump on. With the growing intensity of political parties regarding their position on slavery and the media’s willingness to expedite Moderate’s (a decisive minority) decision pertaining to the issue of slavery with their bias and twisted tales passion only grew in the country. The passing of the Fugitive Slave law, the Kansas-Nebraska acts and its entails of popular sovereignty, the Tallmadge constitution and many other pieces of legislation pertaining to slavery, not only caused political parties to take action but also states rights’ activists. Slavery became a pervasive issue of politics and passion only grew. Eventually this passion seeped into Congress and created a growing feeling of sectionalism. The rhetoric of slavery intensified in Missouri and Washington and Kansas became of symbol of this intense passion for these political parties.  Celia’s story also proves that the personal and political are never totally separate entities. When it came time for Celia’s trial in the fall, everyone had been engrossed in the Media’s coverage of Celia’s tale and their involvement with national matters regarding slavery which led to high levels of political  passion and only added complications, morally, when computing a fair legal setup ranging from a judge to the attorneys and most importantly the jury. Judge Hall’s views on slavery were unknown but given the fact that he held an elected position he would have been keenly aware of the significance of the national slavery debate and would have realized this trial held some potential to contribute to the ongoing national debate. His views influenced the decision of Jameson as defense attorney, which helped Celia’s acquittance for he was out to prove that she was morally innocent and that she did indeed have fear and she did have intent and probable intent at that; she was out to protect her honor which was protected by Missouri law. This point in the defense’s argument began to threaten the institution of slavery itself and raised fundamental issues about the role of law in a slave society. The Jury which was comprised of devoted fathers who owned slaves and benefitted economically and socially from them really pushes the significant issue of  Celia’s trial which is the moral dilemma slavery forced individuals to consider. When personal and political passion are taken away and these jury members are forced to rely on their raw moral values this only opens up the perspective of the white man and pushes the precedent of the white man’s power in deciding the future of slavery and obviously Celia’s life.   The author’s focus on important individual’s background, explanation of the cause and effects of important events really helps in creating a clear picture of what society entailed in the past and why there was so much fear and why there were so many differences. Even though the author did not have concise resources pertaining to Celia’s trail and was forced to assume, bias is not very defined in the story and objectivity is maintained. When comparing this book to others about slavery, greater detail is exhibited which helps the reader realize how such a small event can have a large impact.  The verdict on Celia and the effects of her trial  force the reader to think and picture how harsh life was for such as young girl who had to grin and bare it.