A History of Anthony Comstock & the Comstock Law

Writer Amy Sohn joins us to discuss her latest book, The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship, and Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age. The book recounts the little-known history of one man in the late 19th century who had it in for women's rights. His name was Anthony Comstock; he was a special agent to the U.S. Post Office whose eponymous law from 1873 made it illegal to send contraception through the mail. The book explains his profound impacts on women's lives and delves into the specific stories of the eight women who were charged with violating the law, including Emma Goldman and Victoria C. Woodhull, the first woman to run for president.