Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Slavery in Missouri

Introduction
In 1720 Philippe Francois is stated to acquire introduced slavery in Missouri. It is recorded that he came with 500 Negroes to work in the lead mines from the present counties of St Loius and Jefferson. Of the growth of cotton in The us which look for indicated to be 800% and the invention of cotton gin during the industrial revolution by Eli Whitney in 1793, the number of Slaves in Missouri rose considerably as their demand increased along side with the exploitation of virgin lands.
Discussion
In Missouri, masters heavily relied on a number of slaves they had simply because this had very good contribution in their economic status. Because it is normally the case, men slaves were a lot more valuable as compared to women and children. However, women suffered significantly of abuses from their masters as compared to their male counterparts. During low season of any specific employment or during the period which a slave would be considered unemployed, masters would lend their slaves to their fellow masters and would in return receive wages as a result of the slaves. In other words if a given master had quite a few slaves than he needed at a particular period he would merely outsource them and receive their wages.
Slaves in Missouri have been subjected into creating numerous forms of work and as a result they became incredibly skilled and experienced in almost every type of jobs that was offered to become done. Despite their economic significance and or role inside society, slaves whether blacks and or colored were regarded low life people. One of the most superior in the blacks and colored was inferior towards the lowest in the whites in Missouri. As being a matter of reality slavery codes were put into location to make sure that their social reputation was also included from the law.
In 1800s several unjust laws were passed. These laws denied Negro and colored people of their educational rights, legal rights, freedom of movement and even of speech in particular in legal cases concerning the whites. They would not be allowed to engage in any form formal learning. Writing, reading and or teaching was a domain for your whites only. Any person caught generating any of these points would be imprisoned for six months and would also pay a fine of five hundred cash and above. It became even worse once a law was enacted that black sexual offenders towards the white would be mutilated whilst white male sexual offenders would be regarded trespassers. Apart from that, Negroes have been not segregated from their masters even in houses of worship and even in death. There had been cemeteries for ones whites and for blacks or colored. Only in few occasions would a slave be buried near his master. Their marriages had been not known either by the church or by law until after civil war after they were forced to remarry, under the law. This however pleased many Negroes.
In work to presumably protect themselves, the whites had been the only those who had been allowed to posses a gun under the law. Anyone who would be caught using a gun would be subjected to severe beatings, 39 lashes and surrender the gun.
Throughout the slave period, there were men both black and whites who were outspoken about their opposition against slavery. This persons lobbied for abolition of slavery amidst good opposition and hatred. People who earnestly fought for your freedom on the slaves were ill treated and even put to death Elijah Lovejoy was in 1837 murdered for his fight against slavery. This of course was as a result of the massive economic obtain that people who supported slavery have been enjoying.
Women slaves have been one of the most vulnerable group of slaves because apart from becoming subjected to tough labor under difficult slavery conditions, they were sexually harassed by their master which unfortunately was not a big crime. Negroes were not regarded as humans but as their masters' household that had been free to treat them as brutally and inhumanly as it served or happy them.
Despite the tough times they went through, slaves globe work tough and purchase themselves off from their masters. But even after being free, they were not identified by the society and law as persons with rights. As a matter of reality series of law have been to become passed to make sure that the blacks would by no means live totally free life. They were dined correct to education, appropriate to very own property, freedom of movement in between numerous other forms of oppressive laws.
Following long suffering and perseverance, Celia an ordinary slave of a rich and successful farmer Robert Newsom, murdered her master as defense to his continued sexual harassment to her. It is mentioned that Celia being the only woman slave in his farm was usually raped by his master despite her pleadings even through his master's personal daughter for her master to permit her be. At an early age of 18 Celia had given birth two of Robert's children. It's said that even after Celia fell in adore with another man George also a Robert's slave, Robert continued to rape her until a single day in 1855 although he went to defile her as usual, she clubbed him to death and an work for getting rid of evidence of her act burnt his human body in her cabin. As expected, a thorough look for was for Mr. Robert was done and Celia confessed of killing her master.
In Callaway County, Missouri young Celia was convicted and executed for murder of Robert Newsom who simply because her acquisition molested her frequently. This situation took place during a quite sensitive period when several men and women within the city had been fighting for abolition on the institution of slavery. Therefore, the outcome of this case would adversely affect the law program in Missouri and also rights from the slaves.
According towards the laws that have been in existence at that time, the trial could not have taken one more direction since sexual harassment against a slave was merely treated as trespass on master's commodity. Again, in 1825, blacks had been declared incompetent of in trials involving whites. Consequently, the prosecution led by Robert Prewitt obviously had an upper hand and any attempts by Jameson, a Congressman, landowner and he a slave, of putting across a case of self defense was futile in this case. William Hall, the presiding judge sustained all the objections produced by the prosecution and so the only chance that Celia had to save her life would were a testimony from her then lover George also a Newsom's slave who chose to preserve himself other than defend his lover's action which he himself had provoked.
Conclusion
McLaurin’s Novelistic sort of demonstrating what transpired within the situation of Celia which of course was one of the several brutal cases in slave era, attracts the reader's attention which eventually passes the message to many who wouldn't have otherwise read it. Despite observations from numerous book reviewers of omissions in details, the sensitivity and insight during the book is captivating and any sympathetic individual would not ignore it. McLaurin's case study brought out the brutality and inhuman treatment how the slaves went through in American and particularly in Missouri in a spectacular way that deserves a mention.
I personally believe that McLaurin’s straightforwardness and focus in his short book, Celia, is really a successful book because it is in a position to bring a excellent illustration on the pre-civil war period of slavery and its effect on slaves. The book can also be in a position to demonstrate the slaves' predicament which forces others who aren't necessarily affected by the case engage inside the fight against the barbaric slavery institution.
It is really a good piece of writing given the truth that McLaurin collects pieces of evidence in Callaway County, Missouri and its neighborhood. While mentioned to become speculation, his piece of writing is useful and is in no doubt a have to read book for researchers on slavery in America and specially in Missouri and its surrounding.
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