At the time of the 1850s, slavery was a common issue that included the use of sexual abuse against women. In the book "Celia, A Slave," author Melton A. McLaurin helps expose the powerful and impactful story of a slave's tragedies and explains the history of Celia's purchase and use by a farmer named Robert Newsom who emigrated. westward in search of better and cheaper land. After Robert Newsom's wife died, Celia was chosen by him to be the woman he had sex with. Celia was not only exploited by her owner Robert Newsom, but she was also completely dehumanized by being raped almost every day for five years. At the age of fourteen, Celia was bought into slavery and that is when the rape began. Celia was given her own cabin from the other slaves so that Robert Newsom could bury the fact that he was doing the wrong thing. Celia had other feelings for a fellow enslaved African American named George, which were disturbed by the daily sexual assaults committed by Robert Newsom. Celia believed she had the ability to defend herself even though she was a slave with very few rights. I believe Celia had the right to defend herself and that any woman treated unfairly and with disrespect should be able to get help and defend herself without fear of punishment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Women should have the right to defend themselves without fearing the consequences of fighting back. Celia's lifestyle on Robert Newsom's plantation was harsh, lonely and dreary. She was treated with disrespect throughout the farm. Robert Newsom's intentions “...for acquiring Celia were different from those behind his previous slave purchases. Newsom was not looking for a field worker or a servant…he had decided to purchase a replacement for his wife, who had been dead for almost a year.” During Celia's five years of misery, she felt unable to defend herself and express her opinion against the sexual assault because she wanted to think about the future and not get killed. It is sad that a woman has to endure all these years of torture just because of her own fear. Celia's personal fear caused her to not act upon the fact that she was being raped, which caused her to hold in all of her anger until she had enough, which which led her to retaliate against Robert Newsom. As African American slaves, they had less protection under the law to defend themselves and felt obligated to respect the actions of their masters so that slaves would not be punished for the actions of others. In my opinion, Celia made the right choice by standing up for herself and no longer allowing herself to be treated like dirt. She decided to speak out to make an effort to end the sexual assault in order to regain her personal well-being from her past. It can be argued that killing is never the solution and that instead of resorting to violence, Celia could have looked for a better way to handle her situation. Many people agreed that she committed a crime that was considered first degree murder and regardless Robert Newson did it, people argued that she didn't. He had no right to take his master's life. However, Celia was out of options and she then acted out of anger and wanted to protect herself. Celia was treated with disrespect and injustice and was placed in several brutal situations, leading her to need a way to.