Celia, a Slave Book Review Essay - 1134 Words

Book Review #2 How History Exposes the System By: Nicholas McGee (w1073395) History 320 Fall 2012 How History Exposes the System A significant portion of African-American history in the western new age democracy of the Americas over the past four hundred years is a reminiscence of stories from the years when African-Americans were used as slaves on the plantations or farms of affluent, white farmers. One intriguing story of slavery and the struggles with it was written by a guy named Melton A. McLaurin. Released in 1993, Celia, A Slave was written as a true story of a young slaved girl who broke some of the most unbreakable of the rules that applied to slaves which took more abuse than most of her peers. The work as a whole†¦show more content†¦While on the Newsom plantation, Celia became romantically involved with another slave. Only after exhausting all other options, she revealed the crimes to her lover, who predictably became very distressed about the whole ordeal. As the rapes continued, Celia grew more restless until one night; she made a decision not to take it anymore. When Mr. Newsom entered her slave house to commit another terrible rape, Celia used a blunt stick to knock him out cold and repeatedly beat him until he was dead. She dragged the body to the fire near her room. Knowing that her crimes would draw attention of the white community, Celia fled the plantation, creating a situation where questions were asked of all of the other slaves. Her boyfriend at the time was one of the first to be questioned. The situation with him is important because it showed the tactics that were used by the authority of the white people against blacks at the time. While the legal system was intended to protect everyone including black people against this type of activity, it was often rigged by the white elites of the time. He eventually cracked and gave up valuable information on the whereabouts of Celia, and she was later captured. Celia was provided with a lawyer, which was another important situation. A young hot shot with aspirations of protecting her, this was a perfect lawyer for Celia. However, she wasShow MoreRelatedAfrican American Women Slave Revolts2163 Words   |  9 PagesSoftly: African American Women, Slave Revolts, and Historical Constructions of Racialized Gender† is an attempt by Rebecca Hall, to uncover women’s participation in slave revolts and to address a concern of why enslaved women were silenced in revolt. She also focuses on why certain aspects of slave revolt are seen as exclusively male activities. To accomplish her task, she uses a number of book excerpts from prominent historians, as well as many sources from accounts of slave revolts in history. AlthoughRead MoreBibliographic Essay on African American History6221 Words   |  25 PagesAmerica Vol. I: 1619-1 863 and Vol. II (Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998), which emphasizes culture; and, Darlene Clark Hine and Kathleen Thompson’s Shining Thread of Hope: The History of Black Women in America (New York: Broadway Books, 1998), a work highlighting the presence of women. Juliet E. K. Walker’s The History of Black Business in America: Capitalism, Race, Entrepreneurship (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1998) is a general historical overview of blacks in business acrossRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pages. Organization Theory Challenges and Perspectives John McAuley, Joanne Duberley and Phil Johnson . This book is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive and reliable guide to organisational theory currently available. What is needed is a text that will give a good idea of the breadth and complexity of this important subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of work