Women-led domestic protests—spinning bees, homespun clothing, local tea alternatives—were less prevalent in New York than in other colonies. One vivid female protester from the period is Hannah Lawrence, a young Quaker Patriot who remained in occupied New York and wrote pointed poetry under the pseudonym “Matilda.” When the British repurposed the fire-gutted ruins of Trinity Church as a socializing promenade—ripping out headstones to expand it—Lawrence wrote a sharp, indignant poem attacking the women whose elaborate gowns had necessitated the expansion and posted copies at Trinity's gates. The New York Public Library holds her handwritten poetry notebook. Her story ends in irony: during the occupation she fell in love with a British soldier billeted in her home, married him in secret against her family’s wishes, and emigrated to Canada—a reminder that these were real people inside world-changing events.
Interviewees
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Julie Golia
- Linda May Uris Director, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library, New York Public Library
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Meredith Mann
- Interim Charles J. Liebman Curator of Manuscripts, New York Public Library
