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1、YanzeLiSum15HIST007AEfrosenyaLubisichCelia,ASlavefinalessayJuly12th2015WomeninantebellumSouthThebookCelia,ASlave,writtenbyMeltonMaclaurin,isabouttheexperienceoffemaleslaveCelia.In1850,RobertNewsomboughtCelia,whowasattheageoffourteen,andafterfive-yearlongsexualabuse,shefinallyconfrontedhermaste
2、r,andkilledNewsomwithawoodenclub.Inthecourse,Celia’sdefenselawyerJohnJamesontriedhisbesttoprotectCeliaunderthenameof“self-defense”;however,Celiawasstillsentencedwithfirst-degreemurderandexecutedbyhanginginthepublic.Celia’scasereflectsthatslavehadalmostnohumanrightssincetheywerenotseenashumanbu
3、tpropertyinantebellumSouth.Moresignificantly,Celia’scasereflectsthewomen’ssocialstatusinthepre-civilwarAmerica.Firstly,Celia’sstoryillustratestherelationshipbetweenmastersandslavesandshowstheinhumanetreatmentofslaveryinSouth.InSouth,forexampleVirginia,“slaveownershiphadlongbeenamarkofsocialpos
4、ition”(Maclaurin,11).RobertNewsomownedfivemaleslavesin1850,andtheinvestmentinhumanchattelbroughthimwithwealthandsocialstatus.Newsom’sfarmbenefittedalotfromagriculturaleconomy.“Majorcashcropsofhemp,cottonandtobacco”(Maclaurin,12)allrequiredlaborforcesintheplantation.Investmentinslaverycouldincr
5、easethefieldyieldandbroughtmorewealth.Sincemasterspurchasedslaves,slavesweretheirproperty,andtreatedasworkingtoolsratherthanhumanbeings.InthetextbookAmericanStories,slavesworked“fromsunuptosundown,sixdaysaweek”(271)underthewhiteoverseers.Longworkinghoursandpoorworkingsituationswereallevidenceo
6、finhumanetreatments.Sinceslaveswereonlyconsideredaspurchasedpropertyoftheirmasters,theyalsosharednohumanrightsinotheraspectoflife.ForCelia,shehadnorighttodefendforherself.Shecouldonlystandinthedefenseseatsandwatchingwhitemalesarguingoverhercasesandmakingdecisionofherfuture.Shecouldonlyacceptth
7、efate,andhadnopowertochangeit.Moreover,inCelia’scase,thesexualexploitationfromRobertNewsomwasonlyconsideredastrespassratherthanrapebecauseCeliawasaslavewoman,andNewsomwasawhitemale.Thus,itwasalmostimpossibletotreatNewsom’sactionasillega
