What kinds of historical documents help McLaurin reconstruct Celia and her contemporaries’ lives? What limitations come from lack of evidence or historical documentation?  Choose one example of McLaurin’s speculations based on the historical evidence and offer an alternative interpretation of this evidence.

McLaurin concludes that Celia’s version of the events (that she acted alone in killing Newsom and disposing of his body) is the truth.  What evidence does he use to support this conclusion?  What evidence is there against Celia’s story?  What do you believe happened on the night Newsom was killed?  Based on what evidence?

Several key historical events are relevant to Celia’s story, including legislation like the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act and legal decisions such as the Dred Scott case.  Explain why the political backdrop to Celia’s case is so fundamental to our understanding of her life, using particular examples to illustrate your argument.