Konrad Morgan Lehmann

Colonists, Taverns and tavern life

Source:

Williamsburg VA, Historical interpreter. Interview. 19 Oct. 2016.

Paraphrase:

The colonists mostly drank small beer on boats and they also drank this drink in taverns. Small beer is low alcohol drink, this was good for drinking because you would not become drunk but you would also be reassured that the water was clean. They make this because then they know their water will be good to drink. Eating was very formal in the colonial times. Sometimes the men would just go to the tavern to get a break from being extremely formal. Children weren’t allowed in taverns although many worked there just not when they were too young. When you came to tavern there would be one meal that everyone would eat.
This could be prevented if you were a very important person or you paid a lot.
Some of the higher gentlemen would then request a private meal for them or if they were with other people they would then get it for them as well.
When you order a room you would not be promised that you would be in the bed alone.
Most of the time it would be organized by the tavern keeper.
He or she would calculate how many people she was getting in that day and say maybe two to a bed but one must have three for example.
Again this could be prevented if you were important, strongly liked by the tavern keeper, or paid a little extra.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

My Ideas:

The fact that they drank small beer shows that they really cared about how the brackish water was affecting them. This may sound silly but in that time many people blamed things like this of people they didn’t like or a message from god. The way they realized that it was to do with the water so quickly surprises me and most likely many others. Small beer was not very expensive, to some tasted very good, did not affect you in a way that would make you drunk within the first glasses, and lastly was purified. The natives already knew which waters were brackish so they had no small beer, the Africans came at the time where they were ether given brackish water but it wasn’t too bad, or the few treated vaguely well would be given small beer. Like today, the rich can get out of things like sleeping with strangers and it was not very different then.

History:

Created: 10/25/2016 10:36 AM

 

 

 

Sam Saslow

2016

Source:

http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/the-colonial-tavern-crucible-of-the-american-revolution/

Quote:

“However, arguably the taverns’ most important role in society (and American history) is the role they played in the beginning of the Revolutionary War. As anger spread throughout the colonies, many took to the tavern to discuss, argue, and debate what needed to be done. One location in particular, Boston’s  Green Dragon Tavern  (or as Daniel Webster put it “ the Headquarters of the Revolution ”) played host to the infamous “Sons Of Liberty” who, presumably after a couple of pints of spruce beer or molasses-infused porters, plotted the “Boston Tea Party.” It’s not hard to imagine why a couple of ales could have played a role in nudging along the idea of dressing like a Native American and dumping some of the East India Company’s finest tea into Boston Harbor.”

Paraphrase:

• Taverns played a big role in the Revolutionary war
• When there was anger in the colonies about the war a lot of people went to taverns to discuss  it
• Sons Of Liberty was started in a tavern (The Sons of Liberty was an organization of American colonists that was created in the Thirteen American Colonies.)
• In a tavern the Boston Tea Party was planned out
• They dumped the finest teas into the harbor 

My Ideas:

Taverns were very important in the War for many reasons. One reason was you could get away and talk to your buddies about the war and no British soldiers would hear you. In taverns you could have privacy and during the war feel safe. Another reason why taverns were important in the war was the colonists plotted a lot of ideas to fight the British and to rebel against them. I infer that a tavern was one of the most important locations of a colonial town based off of other cards and other information.  Without taverns towns would not be the same. This also connects on Native American tribes would not be the same without meeting houses. In taverns they plotted a revolution, without taverns America might not be the same.

History:

Created: 11/01/2016 10:29 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caroline Maltz
2015

Drinkings Rules for the Native Americans
Salinger, Sharon V. Taverns and Drinking in Early America. Baltimore: The John Hopkins UP, 2002. Print. Page(s): 24-25 

“Finally a 1705 law made it illegal to sell rum and brandy on any lands belonging to Indians. Just as in Maryland, the law yielded little result. After the law was implemented, representatives from the Pamunkey Indians complained to the colony’s council about how easy it was for them to purchase hard liquor. Lawmakers responded by banning the sale of alcohol ‘in any Indian Town within this Government,’ and later, in 1712, they enlarged the act by proclaiming it unlawful to sell rum ‘within the precincts allotted to the Tributary Indians.”‘

 Paraphrase:

• A law was made against the Indians in 1705, stating that selling alcohol on any Indian land was illegal.
• The law didn’t make a big impact
• The Pamunkey Indians told the colony’s council that even with the law, it was still easy for the Indians to receive alcohol
• The lawmakers than expanded the law
• The lawmakers made it so that no alcohol could be sold in any Indian Town within that Government
• The lawmakers also declared that it was wrong to vend alcohol within any division allotted to the Tributary Indians.  

 My Ideas: The Indians were discriminated against by the Europeans because the Europeans figured out a strategy to live longer, and the Native Americans were taking over the resource they needed to fight off diseases. The lawmakers made a law that alcohol wasn’t allowed to be sold on Indian land and territory. The law didn’t make a big difference from before because the Indians were still receiving and selling alcohol on their land. The lawmakers then expanded the law to make sure the Indians couldn’t receive any more alcohol in any Indian town within that Government. The Europeans wanted to make sure they got all the alcohol and also had the lawmakers declare that it was bad to vend alcohol in any division belonging to the Tributary Indians. This indicates that the Indians were punished by the lawmakers and the Europeans. The Europeans knew that drinking a good amount of alcohol regularly was good for your body because it protected you from getting deadly infections and diseases. I understand why the Europeans didn’t want the Indians getting more alcohol. They wanted to live as long as they could and hopefully keep their population alive. Also the Europeans saw alcohol has a crucial resource to survive while the Indians saw it has a delicious, calm and relaxing resource that they enjoyed very much. The Europeans didn’t find it useful for certain amounts of alcohol to go to waste. Unfortunately since the Europeans and English didn’t  get along, they couldn’t share the miracle finding.

Jack Schnall

2015

What They Did At Taverns

Source:

Thorp, D., ed. Colonial Amerca. Sherman Turnpike, Danbury, Connecticut 06816: Grolier Education, 1998. Print.

Pages:

199

Quote:

“The men of the colonies tended to keep their wine, cider, beer, and spirit drinking to taverns. Evenings were spent playing darts and skittles and drinking from foaming tankards of beer. Records show that in 1737 there were 177 taverns in Boston, and in 1752 New York had 334.”

Paraphrase:

• Men kept their alcohol at the taverns.
• The men played darts and skittles for fun.
• They mainly went to taverns at night.
• There were 177 taverns in Boston in 1737.
• There were 334 taverns in New York in 1752.
• The European English liked to drink at taverns during the evening. While they were there, they drank beer, wine, cider, and spirit drinks. After they got drunk, they played skittles and darts for fun. Skittles is a game just like bowling, but with nine pins. There were many taverns in Boston in 1737. There were also a lot of taverns in New York in 1752.

My Ideas:

The Europeans had lots of fun at taverns. I can infer that they loved to drink, and play games with each other. Since there were so many taverns, the men probably went to taverns very often. The Europeans also probably bet on the games that they played because they were always looking for extra money. I don’t think women were allowed in the taverns because the books and oniline sources never talk about them. What were the rules at the taverns? Did each tavern have different rules on who was allowed in? What was the legal drinking age? What other kinds of drinks and games did they play? Were Native Americans and Africans allowed in taverns? If you owned a tavern, you probably would have been middle to upper class because it was very expensive to stay in one. Some taverns were probably for the gentry class, but their were also some taverns with middle class furniture and more beat up for the middle class. It was cheaper. But were the gentry class taverns much nicer? Would a very important person ever sleep at a middle class tavern?