| In Public Houses: Drink and the Revolution of Authority in Colonial Massachusetts Contributor(s): Conroy, David W. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0807845213 ISBN-13: 9780807845219 Publisher: Omohundro Institute and Unc Press OUR PRICE: $45.13 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: June 1995 Annotation: In this study of the role of taverns in the development of Massachusetts society, David Conroy brings into focus a vital and controversial but little-understood facet of public life and material culture during the colonial era. Concentrating on the Boston area, he reveals a popular culture at odds with Puritan social ideals and the colony's social and political hierarchy and one that contributed to the transformation of Massachusetts into a republican society. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Customs & Traditions - History | United States - Colonial Period (1600-1775) - History | United States - Revolutionary Period (1775-1800) |
| Dewey: 394.120 |
| LCCN: 94032658 |
| Series: Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American Histo |
| Physical Information: 1.01" H x 6.2" W x 9.27" (1.31 lbs) 368 pages |
| Themes: - Geographic Orientation - Massachusetts - Cultural Region - New England |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In this study of the role of taverns in the development of Massachusetts society, David Conroy brings into focus a vital and controversial but little-understood facet of public life during the colonial era. Concentrating on the Boston area, he reveals a popular culture at odds with Puritan social ideals, one that contributed to the transformation of Massachusetts into a republican society. Public houses were an integral part of colonial community life and hosted a variety of official functions, including meetings of the courts. They also filled a special economic niche for women and the poor, many of whom turned to tavern-keeping to earn a living. But taverns were also the subject of much critical commentary by the clergy and increasingly restrictive regulations. Conroy argues that these regulations were not only aimed at curbing the spiritual corruption associated with public houses but also at restricting the popular culture that had begun to undermine the colony's social and political hierarchy. Specifically, Conroy illuminates the role played by public houses as a forum for the development of a vocal republican citizenry, and he highlights the connections between the vibrant oral culture of taverns and the expanding print culture of newspapers and political pamphlets in the eighteenth century. |
Contributor Bio(s): Conroy, David W.: - David W. Conroy is an independent scholar living in Weymouth, Massachusetts. |