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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In Dr. Matthew Clavin's new book, "Symbols of Freedom: Slavery and Resistance Before the Civil War," he shows how slaves adopted America's signature documents, songs and rallying cries as their own. From the National Anthem, to July 4th, to the phrase, "Give me liberty or give me death," enslaved Americans seized on symbols some cited as evidence the nation's people were ordained to be free, and used them to fight for their own freedom. Clavin establishes a pattern in the historical record that shows how America's slaves exposed the quintessential contradiction built into our founding principles. During our discussion, he also explains how he teaches the history of resistance and how we can use lessons of early America to inform today's battle for a more just society.

Dr. Matthew Clavin's website is at https://uh.edu/class/history/faculty-and-staff/clavin_m/

Information on his book from NYU Press can be found at https://nyupress.org/9781479823246/symbols-of-freedom/

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In 1850, in exchange for allowing the potential of slavery in New Mexico and Utah, California was admitted to the Union as its 31st state. A free state. The land of beaches, beautiful scenery, bridges and Hollywood. But even to today, Dr. Pfaelzer argues California has not been fully free. While we may not imagine plantation slavery there the way we do in US southern states, Dr. Pfaelzer says there were still Black Americans forced to work in bondage. Slaves of other races and nationalities have also existed there. The indigenous, the Inuit, the Chinese, and even people from India. And indeed, she says, there are still people in California being trafficked to live as slaves. She explains how California's geography, weather and politics foster the conditions for human bondage. Dr. Pfaelzer argues there is a lesson in this book for everyone who wants America to become truly free.

Information on Dr. Pfaelzer's book can be found at: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300211641/california-a-slave-state/

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In contemporary political discourse, the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. have often been reduced to a snappy soundbite articulating his "Dream" of seeing his children judged, "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." In his new biography of King, Jonathan Eig uses tons of new sources, including memoirs and recordings from King's immediate family to paint perhaps the definitive portrait of the most storied Civil Rights leader of the 20th Century. He shows how King's upbringing led him to adopt religion in the cause of freedom. He also illustrates the side of his life that King tried to keep hidden, and shows how that impacted the way he fought for justice in American public life. Eig calls King one of America's Founding Fathers, and this episode will show you why.

Jonathan Eig's website can be found at https://www.jonathaneig.com

Information on his book can be found at https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374719678/kingalife

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The biggest-selling musical act of all time isn't necessarily well-known for the time they spent in Florida, but Bob Kealing says they should be. The Beatles stopped in Florida just after their world-changing appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show," and were exposed to a magical side of America. The Beatles soaked up Miami's beaches, bikinis and sunshine, and spent more time in Florida than anywhere else during their first sojourn to the US. They would return several months later to play a show in Jacksonville, and wound up taking a stand that impacted the Civil Rights movement and the music industry forever. Bob is a foremost authority on Florida history, and paints a vivid picture of the Beatles in Florida, using an array of sources that only he could have cultivated.


Information on "Good Day Sunshine State" can be found at https://upf.com/book.asp?id=9780813068930

Bob Kealing is on social media at https://twitter.com/Bob_Kealing

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How did a suicide help lead to the downfall of one of the most corrupt government officials in American history? In his new book, "Crooked: The Roaring Twenties Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, A Crusading Senator and the Birth of the American Political Scandal," Nathan Masters describes how Harry Daugherty went too far to protect his friends and the political power structure built by President Warren Harding. Masters argues that while Harding might not have been as corrupt as modern historians often say, his hands-off approach may have created the conditions for inevitable scandals. He features the story of a plucky senator named Burton Wheeler, who had the gall to go after the seemingly-untouchable attorney general. Masters also describes how the flawed media of the age contributed to the scandal, and why the name Harry Daugherty has been largely forgotten.

Nathan Master's website is at https://nathanmasters.me

Information on his book can be found at https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/nathan-masters/crooked/9780306826139/

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What do Marilyn Monroe, Superman and... Jules Schulback have him common? Helene Stapinski and Bonnie Siegler say Bonnie's grandfather and the two pop culture icons combine to tell an essential story of the 20th Century in the United States. Jules was walking in Manhattan when he happened upon Marilyn as she filmed the iconic scene for, "The Seven Year Itch." He used his film camera to capture what would become one of the most iconic images of the century, a film that was lost to history until Bonnie found the footage in a closet. After Stapinski wrote an article for the New York Times about how the footage was found after many decades, they discovered that Jules had been rescued by the publisher of the Superman comic series. They later teamed up to write, "The American Way: A True Story of Nazi Escape, Superman and Marilyn Monroe." During our interview, they explain the stories behind their main characters, and why they make for the perfect lens to view the twentieth century.

Helene Stapinski's website can be found at https://helenestapinski.com/

Bonnie Siegler's website can be found at http://www.8point5.com/

Information on their book can be found at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-American-Way/Helene-Stapinski/9781982171667

The original article by Helene Stapkinski can be found here https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/nyregion/marilyn-monroe-skirt-blowing-new-york-film.html?searchResultPosition=1

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Famed television host Anthony Bourdain said, "Nothing is more political than food." In Alex Prud'homme's book, "Dinner with the President: Food, Politics and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House," shows how presidents and First Ladies have used food to craft public policy, play politics and even alter the course of the presidency. Prud'homme explains how even great presidents faltered when it came to who they invited to the White House for a meal, and how they used future meals to dig themselves out of the messes they made. From Jefferson's "Dinner Table Bargain," to Taft's steak obsession, to JFK's brainiac guests, to George W. Bush's ballpark dogs, to Donald Trump's Dominos, Prud'homme explains why you can't understand the presidency without understanding what they eat, who they eat it with, and why eating at the White House is about more than just a meal.

Alex Prud'homme's website can be found here https://alexprudhomme.com

He is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APrudhommeWords

Information on his book can be found here https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/552098/dinner-with-the-president-by-alex-prudhomme/

Support our show at https://patreon.com/axelbankhistory

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

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In, "Comet Madness: How the 1910 Return of Halley's Comet Almost Destroyed Civilization," Dr. Richard Goodrich shows how science and society collided in sometimes deadly fashion. He explores how the media and those eager to make a quick buck exacerbated fears over what would happen when the comet became visible from Earth's atmosphere. He explains how a society that was largely uneducated about the universe brought disastrous consequences on itself as people stopped paying their bills, tending their crops and destroyed lives, all because they didn't understand that Halley's comet was harmless.

Information on his book can be found at https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781633888562/Comet-Madness-How-the-1910-Return-of-Halley%27s-Comet-(Almost)-Destroyed-Civilization

His website is: https://www.richardjgoodrich.com/

He is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rj_goodrich

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**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

"Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at

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Every president, every leader, needs someone who they can trust. Who will tell them what is really happening, as opposed to telling them what they want to hear? In short, they need a confidante. Anna Rosenberg was one of the assistants whom FDR kept closest, not only in terms of policy, but as a friend. However, most biographies on FDR have largely ignored the role the high-ranking official played in helping to carry out the New Deal, win World War II and secure the peace afterwards. In this episode, high school history teacher Christopher Gorham explains how he stumbled on the story of Anna Rosenberg, and why so few contemporary biographers seem to have missed the influence of the first person to receive the presidential medal of freedom.

Information on Christopher's book can be found at https://www.christophercgorham.com

He is on social media at https://twitter.com/ccgorham

Support our show at https://patreon.com/axelbankhistory

**A portion of every contribution is given to a charity for children's literacy**

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