The sewing girl's tale : a story of crime and consequences in revolutionary America
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published
New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2022.
Edition
First edition.
Physical Desc
365 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm
Status
South Valleys Library - Adult Nonfiction
345.7302 SWEET 2022
1 available
Sparks Library - Adult Nonfiction
345.7302 SWEET 2022
1 available

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LocationCall NumberStatus
South Valleys Library - Adult Nonfiction345.7302 SWEET 2022On Shelf
Sparks Library - Adult Nonfiction345.7302 SWEET 2022On Shelf

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Published
New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2022.
Format
Book
Edition
First edition.
Language
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-347) and index.
Description
"Renowned historian John Wood Sweet's The Sewing Girl’s Tale presents 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."--,Provided by publisher.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Sweet, J. W. (2022). The sewing girl's tale: a story of crime and consequences in revolutionary America (First edition.). Henry Holt and Company.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Sweet, John Wood, 1966-. 2022. The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America. Henry Holt and Company.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Sweet, John Wood, 1966-. The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America Henry Holt and Company, 2022.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Sweet, John Wood. The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America First edition., Henry Holt and Company, 2022.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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