The Agitators

In The Agitators, the executive editor of The New Yorker offers a gripping exploration of the mid-19th century through the intertwined lives of three pivotal figures in the abolitionist and women's rights movements: Harriet Tubman, Frances Seward, and Martha Wright. This award-winning work chronicles their struggles and achievements before, during, and after the Civil War, highlighting Tubman's daring rescues via the Underground Railroad, Wright's activism alongside suffragists, and Seward's covert political influence. Through extensive research and vivid letters from the period, the narrative sheds light on the explosive debates of the era and reflects on the profound impact these women had on American society and its ongoing quest for justice.