In Public Houses: Drink and the Revolution of Authority in Colonial Massachusetts (Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and ... and the University of North Carolina Press) - Softcover

Conroy, David W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807845213 ISBN 13: 9780807845219

Publisher: Omohundro Institute and UNC Press, 1995

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Book Description:

" In Public Houses is an extraordinary work of history that gracefully traces the origins, growth, and functions of these centers of collective drink during the first two centuries of American history. . . . Challeng[es] conventional wisdom on the rigid distinction between oral and print culture, the anglicization of Massachusetts, and the influence of the Puritan ethic during the Revolution."-- Choice

From the Back Cover:

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Omohundro Institute and UNC Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0807845213
• ISBN 13: 9780807845219
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368