Skip to content
  • Home
  • Shop
  • About Us
  • Search
  • Contact Us
  • Login
View cart
  • Login
Close
  • Home
  • Shop
  • About Us
  • Search
  • Contact Us
Home The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America - Paperback
The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America
  • Books,
  • History,
  • Law,
  • Legal History,
  • Price Written on Book,
  • Revolutionary Period (1775-1800),
  • Sexual Abuse & Harassment,
  • Social Science,
  • United States,

The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America - Paperback

Original price $27.79 - Original price $27.79
Original price
$27.79
$27.79 - $27.79
Current price $27.79
| /
Availability: In Stock
SKU 9781250871480
  • Description
  • Reviews ()

Additional information

Report copyright infringement

by John Wood Sweet (Author)

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
Number of Pages: 384
Dimensions: 1 x 8.9 x 5.8 IN
Publication Date: July 11, 2023

You may also like

  • !Ah y Le Lo Lay, Le Lo Ley! Musica Tipica de Puerto Rico

    !Ah y Le Lo Lay, Le Lo Ley! Musica Tipica de Puerto Rico - Paperback

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby Nereida Ayala-Guzman (Author)Pretendemos por medio de "Ahi Le Lo Lai Le Lo Lei, Música Típica de Puerto Rico", resa...

    View full details
    Original price $38.88 - Original price $38.88
    Original price
    $38.88
    $38.88 - $38.88
    Current price $38.88
    | /
    Original price $38.88 - Original price $38.88
    Original price
    $38.88
    $38.88 - $38.88
    Current price $38.88
    | /
  • !Búscalo! (Look It Up!): A Quick Reference Guide to Spanish Grammar and Usage

    !Búscalo! (Look It Up!): A Quick Reference Guide to Spanish Grammar and Usage - Hardcover

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby William M. Clarkson (Author)A novel approach--very useful for quick reference.--Mark Goldin Associate Professor of ...

    View full details
    Original price $31.27 - Original price $31.27
    Original price
    $31.27
    $31.27 - $31.27
    Current price $31.27
    | /
    Original price $31.27 - Original price $31.27
    Original price
    $31.27
    $31.27 - $31.27
    Current price $31.27
    | /
  • !Búscalo! (Look It Up!): A Quick Reference Guide to Spanish Grammar and Usage

    !Búscalo! (Look It Up!): A Quick Reference Guide to Spanish Grammar and Usage - Paperback

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby William M. Clarkson (Author)"A novel approach-very useful for quick reference." --Mark Goldin, Associate Professor...

    View full details
    Original price $24.92 - Original price $24.92
    Original price
    $24.92
    $24.92 - $24.92
    Current price $24.92
    | /
    Original price $24.92 - Original price $24.92
    Original price
    $24.92
    $24.92 - $24.92
    Current price $24.92
    | /
  • !Eureka!

    !Eureka! - Hardcover

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby Peter Santino (Author)A Practical Guide to Understanding and UtilizingTraditional Techniques of Plaster Repair &...

    View full details
    Original price $46.29 - Original price $46.29
    Original price
    $46.29
    $46.29 - $46.29
    Current price $46.29
    | /
    Original price $46.29 - Original price $46.29
    Original price
    $46.29
    $46.29 - $46.29
    Current price $46.29
    | /
  • !LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS! !REPARATIONS NOW! The Many Reasons Why: St. Mark's-in-the-Bowery Church, The Dutch Royal Family, The Kingdom of the Net

    !LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS! !REPARATIONS NOW! The Many Reasons Why: St. Mark's-in-the-Bowery Church, The Dutch Royal Family, The Kingdom of the Net - Paperback

    In stock

    Report copyright infringementby K. F. Harris (Author)This book !Letter to the United Nations! !Reparations Now! The Many Reasons Why: St. Mark's-in...

    View full details
    Original price $86.38 - Original price $86.38
    Original price
    $86.38
    $86.38 - $86.38
    Current price $86.38
    | /
    Original price $86.38 - Original price $86.38
    Original price
    $86.38
    $86.38 - $86.38
    Current price $86.38
    | /
Shop collection

#DiscoverGreatBooks


Discover books that inspire growth, creativity, and imagination for readers of all ages.

Main menu

  • Home
  • Shop
  • About Us
  • Search
  • Contact Us

Footer menu

  • Search

Follow us

Find us on Facebook Find us on Threads Find us on Telegram Find us on Instagram Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Twitter
  • Search

Copyright © 2026 Selloorium. All rights reserved.

  • Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
  • Opens in a new window.