New York Times Editors' Choice Winner of the Bancroft Prize Winner
of the Francis Parkman Prize Winner of the Gotham Book Prize Winner
of the New York Society Library's New York City Book Award Journal
of the American Revolution Book of the Year Winner of the David J.
Langum, Sr. Prize in American Legal History A riveting
Revolutionary Era drama of the first published rape trial in
American history and its long, shattering aftermath, revealing how
much has changed over two centuries--and how much has not On a
moonless night in the summer of 1793 a crime was committed in the
back room of a New York brothel--the kind of crime that even
victims usually kept secret. Instead, seventeen-year-old seamstress
Lanah Sawyer did what virtually no one in US history had done
before: she charged a gentleman with rape. Her accusation sparked a
raw courtroom drama and a relentless struggle for vindication that
threatened both Lanah's and her assailant's lives. The trial
exposed a predatory sexual underworld, sparked riots in the
streets, and ignited a vigorous debate about class privilege and
sexual double standards. The ongoing conflict attracted the
nation's top lawyers, including Alexander Hamilton, and shaped the
development of American law. The crime and its consequences became
a kind of parable about the power of seduction and the limits of
justice. Eventually, Lanah Sawyer did succeed in holding her
assailant accountable--but at a terrible cost to herself. Based on
rigorous historical detective work, this book takes us from a
chance encounter in the street into the sanctuaries of the city's
elite, the shadows of its brothels, and the despair of its debtors'
prison. The Sewing Girl's Tale shows that if our laws and our
culture were changed by a persistent young woman and the power of
words two hundred years ago, they can be changed again. Includes
photographs
General
Imprint: |
St Martin's Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
July 2023 |
Authors: |
John Wood Sweet
|
Dimensions: |
208 x 135 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
384 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-250-87148-0 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-250-87148-4 |
Barcode: |
9781250871480 |
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