April 13, 1844, Carson v White Not Guilty Plea
Dublin Core
Title
April 13, 1844, Carson v White Not Guilty Plea
Description
In 1844, prior to migrating to Oregon Territory, David Carson was accused of mistreating an enslaved girl named Ann Eliza, who was only 16 at the time. Though we only have limited evidence and understanding of this case and its history, it shows us that David Carson had the potential for violence and debauchery - the accusations of this legal battle - and that this behavior could have continued into his relationship with Letitia Carson.
While there is no evidence whether David ever owned Letitia, and the state of their relationship still remains unclear - the details of the Ann Eliza case prove that David did own an enslaved woman, and mistreated her in both sexual and violent ways, suggesting that he could have possibly continued this behavior into his time with Letitia. Additionally, this abhorrent mistreatment of a young Black girl provides insight into how David may have considered Letitia and suggests that their partnership was not as equal as one may think.
This brief first page reads, "David Carson Vs Replevin Susann White and John A. White - not guilty " followed by the date, April 13th, 1844, and some unintelligible words concerning the case.
The second page details the not-guilty plea given by the defendants.
While there is no evidence whether David ever owned Letitia, and the state of their relationship still remains unclear - the details of the Ann Eliza case prove that David did own an enslaved woman, and mistreated her in both sexual and violent ways, suggesting that he could have possibly continued this behavior into his time with Letitia. Additionally, this abhorrent mistreatment of a young Black girl provides insight into how David may have considered Letitia and suggests that their partnership was not as equal as one may think.
This brief first page reads, "David Carson Vs Replevin Susann White and John A. White - not guilty " followed by the date, April 13th, 1844, and some unintelligible words concerning the case.
The second page details the not-guilty plea given by the defendants.
Creator
Platte County Circuit Court
Source
Platte County Historical Society
Publisher
LCLP
Date
1844-04-13
Contributor
Bob Zybach
Rights
Copyright: Platte County Historical Society
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Legal Document
Identifier
Missouri-39
Coverage
Platte County, Missouri
Collection
Citation
Platte County Circuit Court, “April 13, 1844, Carson v White Not Guilty Plea,” Letitia Carson Digital History Collection , accessed April 28, 2024, https://letitiacarson.omeka.net/items/show/361.