what did celia's lawyer try to argue to defend celia against the murder charge?

Her defense team led by John Jameson argued an affirmative defense: Celia killed Robert Newsom by accident in self defense to stop Newsom from raping her, which was a controversial argument at the time. Celia was ultimately executed by hanging following a denied appeal in December 1855.

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What is the significance of the murder trial of Celia?

Judge William Augustus Hall appointed Celia's defense team: John Jameson, the lead defense attorney and himself a slave owner, Nathan Chapman Kouns, and recent law school graduate Isaac M. Boulware. The defense contended Newsom's death was justifiable homicide and argued that Celia, even though she was a slave, was entitled by Missouri law to use deadly force to …

How did the state rest its case against Celia?

The defense, led by John Jameson, did not allege that Celia did not commit the crime, but rather than Celia had the right to defend herself from rape and from attack. In other words, they tried to argue that Newsom’s death was a justifiable homicide.

Who was the defense attorney for Celia?

One of most important parts of the defense’s legal instructions is that the jury must reach a verdict of not guilty unless it can conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Celia willfully killed Robert Newsom. Furthermore, the defense argues that Robert’s legal ownership of Celia didn’t entitle him to have sex with her.

Did Celia have a right to protect herself from sexual assault?

For nineteen-year-old Celia, a slave on a Missouri farm, five years of being repeatedly raped by her middle-aged owner was enough. On the night of June 23, 1855, she would later tell a reporter, "the Devil got into me" and Celia fatally clubbed her master as he approached her in her cabin. The murder trial of the slave Celia, coming at a time ...

What was Jameson's defense strategy?

What is McLaurin's major argument about the case?

Who was Celia's defense attorney?

What was the trial of Celia?

What is fundamental moral anxiety?

Who raped Celia?

How old was Celia when she killed Newsom?

How was Celia killed?

How old was Celia when she was purchased?

Who taught Celia the slave?

Sarah: Right off the top, we want to acknowledge that all of what we’re going to say here about Celia and her life as a slave comes from the work of historian Melton McLaurin, who taught history at the University of North Carolina: Wilmington for decades.

Was Celia a slave in the 1850s?

This is the case of Celia, an enslaved woman in 1850s America, and based on the work of historian Melton McLaurin in Celia, A Slave.

Who killed Robert Newsome?

Elizabeth: In June 1855, a slave owner named Robert Newsome walked from his home out to the cabin occupied by his slave, a young 19 or 20-year-old woman named Celia. They had a conflict, and Celia killed Newsom.

When was Virginia first settled?

In the early 19th century, the states of the eastern seaboard were filling up – Virginia, specifically, was first settled starting in 1607, and after two centuries, the population had increased so that good land was both becoming scarce and had become really expensive.

What was the significance of the case of Celia?

Celia's trial took place at a time when slavery was an extremely contentious issue in America, and the verdict had important implications for the legal status of enslaved persons, particularly black women . The laws of the time recognized that Celia was Robert Newsom's property, and that he was within his rights to do whatever he wanted with her, including rape. Legally, Celia was only seen as a human subject when she was being punished. As Saidiya Hartman states, "As Missouri v. Celia demonstrated, the enslaved could neither give nor refuse consent, nor offer reasonable resistance, yet they were criminally responsible and liable. The slave was recognized as a reasoning subject, who possessed intent and rationality, solely in the context of criminal liability."

When was Celia formally indicted?

Court proceedings. Celia was formally indicted by a grand jury on August 16, 1855, and on the same day, Judge William Augustus Hall appointed her defense team, led by John Jameson. On October 9, 1855 , Celia was brought before the Callaway County Circuit Court to be tried by a jury of twelve white men. She entered a plea of "not guilty," and the ...

What was the case of Celia v. Missouri?

State of Missouri v. Celia, a Slave was an 1855 murder trial held in the Circuit Court of Callaway County, Missouri, in which a slave woman named Celia was tried for the first-degree murder of her owner, Robert Newsom. Celia was convicted by a jury of twelve white men and sentenced to death. An appeal of the conviction was denied by ...

What was the name of the slave trial in Missouri?

State of Missouri v. Celia , a Slave was an 1855 murder trial held in the Circuit Court of Callaway County, Missouri, in which a slave woman named Celia was tried for the first-degree murder of her owner, Robert Newsom. Celia was convicted by a jury of twelve white men and sentenced to death. An appeal of the conviction was denied by the Supreme Court of Missouri in December 1855, and Celia was hanged on December 21, 1855.

Where did Robert Newsom settle?

Sometime around 1819, Robert Newsom left his home state of Virginia and traveled west and eventually settled in Callaway County, Missouri, with his wife and children. By 1850, Newsom had established himself as a prosperous man in his new home, where he owned eight hundred acres of land, a successful farm, and five male slaves.

Who was the witness in the Newsom murder trial?

Robert Newsom's grandson Coffee Wainscott was the next witness to take the stand. He testified that had been "up in the cherry tree early in the morning grandpa was missing" and that Celia had offered him "two dozen walnuts" if he would carry the ashes out of her cabin. Coffee testified that he had agreed to Celia's offer and taken the ashes and spread them along the side of the path, where he later witnessed the search party "picking bones up out of the ashes." In their cross-examination of Coffee Wainscott , the defense questioned him about his grandfather's sleeping arrangements on the night of his murder, much as they had questioned his mother, Virginia Wainscott. Coffee provided the defense with little information, other than the fact that his four-year-old brother, Billy, had been sleeping in the same room as their grandfather that night.

Who was Robert Newsom's neighbor?

Next, the prosecution called Robert Newsom's neighbor William Powell to the stand. Powell had led the investigation into Newsom's disappearance. When questioned by the prosecution, he simply recounted how and where Newsom's bones had been discovered by the search party. In its cross-examination of William Powell , Celia's defense team questioned him about his interrogation with Celia on the day of the investigation, June 23, 1855. Powell revealed in his testimony that Celia had confessed to Newsom's murder only after he had threatened her repeatedly and told her "that it would be better for her to tell - that her children would not be taken away from her if she would tell, and that [he] had rope fashioned for her if she would not tell." He also testified that Celia had told him that she had "threatened to hurt him [Newsom] if he did not quit forcing her while she was sick" and that "she did not want to kill him, struck him but did not want to kill him."

What newspapers reported Celia's murder?

Celia’s trial and execution were widely reported on various local and national newspapers like The New York Times , Fulton Telegraph, Brunswick Weekly Brunswicker and many more, they included all the details of the murder and Celia’s execution but they never put forth her motive.

When did the Missouri vs Celia trial take place?

The State of Missouri vs. Celia, a Slave ran from June 25 to October 10, 1855. Celia’s testimony does not appear in the trial records because, at that time in Missouri, slaves were not allowed to testify in their own defence if their word disputed a white person’s.

How old was Celia when she was raped?

For nineteen-year-old Celia, a slave on a Missouri farm, five years of being repeatedly raped by her middle-aged owner was enough. On the night of June 23, 1855, she would later tell a reporter, “the Devil got into me” and Celia fatally clubbed her master as he approached her in her cabin. Celia was tried for the first-degree murder ...

Who killed Robert Newsom?

Celia was an enslaved woman found guilty of the first-degree murder of her master, Robert Newsom, in Callaway County, Missouri. Her defence team led by John Jameson argued an affirmative defence: Celia killed Robert Newsom by accident in self-defence to stop Newsom from raping her, which was a controversial argument at the time.

Where did Robert Newsom settle?

Sometime around 1819, Robert Newsom left his home state of Virginia and travelled west, eventually settling in Callaway County, Missouri with his wife and children. By 1850, Newsom had established himself as a prosperous man in his new home, where he owned eight hundred acres of land, a successful farm, and five male slaves.