Axelbank Reports History and Today

#130: John Wood Sweet - "The Sewing Girl's Tale"

July 11, 2023 Evan Axelbank
Axelbank Reports History and Today
#130: John Wood Sweet - "The Sewing Girl's Tale"
Show Notes

At one point in American history, no woman had charged a "gentleman" with rape. That all changed when Lanah Sawyer, a seventeen-year-old seamstress was attacked by a member of New York City's high society. Against all odds - and expectations - Sawyer went to court against the rapist, twice, and forever changed the way the legal system would consider cases of sexual assault. John Wood Sweet describes how the sexual politics in Revolutionary-Era New York were turned upside-down by the brave teenager who refused to be silenced.

John Wood Sweet's website can be found at https://johnwoodsweet.com

Information on his book from Henry Holt and Co. can be found at https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250761972/thesewinggirlstale

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