As I have been reading Taverns and Drinking in Early America, I have come to the realization that people in the colonial era were drunk most of their lives. It is a complete wonder how these people accomplished anything. This book is filled with accounts of drinking being a distraction to their everyday life, and yet not much was done about this. Laws were passed to prevent such drunkenness and yet, these laws were as disregarding as most speeding limits. The times were the laws were most upheld was when drunkenness interfered with the Sabbath and moral boundaries. When I say moral boundaries, I do not mean personal moral boundaries, but rather the moral boundaries set by religion. These moral boundaries also varied with each colony depending on whether or not they were sectarian or non-sectarian colonies.
Sectarian colonies, or colonies that were ruled by a religious affiliation, were the stricter colonies regarding moral boundaries. While they allowed drinking to continue, they paid more attention to people who broke moral codes. For example, lawmakers in Plymouth Colony were concerned about the drinking age, whereas other non-sectarian colonies were not so worried. Plymouth Colony lawmakers stated, in regards those who were not allowed to drink, that those, "especially young persons and such as stand not in need thereof." This law made it illegal for young person to consume alcohol, "except in case of necessitie for the releife of those that are sicke or faint or the like for theire refreshing." Alcohol, or 'strong water', was considered the safest form of liquid, as opposed to water, so in times of necessity it was acceptable for those who were barred from drinking, were allowed to consume 'strong water.'
Non-sectarian colonies were more concerned about the social order. New York, a non-sectarian colony, was extremely disturbed by tavern keepers who entertained blacks. The tavern keepers who served free and 'unfree' blacks were the most heavily prosecuted. Making blacks equal to whites were an idea that touch a raw nerve for New York lawmakers because it disrupted the social order they were so keen on keeping. Even more interesting were the tavern keepers; they were women. Women in this time period depending on their husbands to keep them financially sound, so when their husband died (or they were single women), they needed to find an income source. These women opened taverns, not to just free white men, but everyone. Judith Peters, Susannah Hutchins and Ann Butler were all prosecuted for keeping 'disorderly house.' These women entertained blacks to supplement their small income, and because of this they were prosecuted. Each women was fined, and in the case of Ann Butler, she was banished from New York. The elites of this society took social order very seriously.
The correlation between sectarian colonies and non-sectarian colonies is their moral bases are founded upon two different ideals: religion and social order/money. Both of these types of colonies deeply frowned down upon specific types of 'drunks' and tavern keepers. Sectarian colonies frowned upon the drunk and tavern keeper who was in business on the Sabbath. Non-sectarian colonies frowned upon the tavern keepers, and drunks, who supplied to free and 'unfree' blacks.
Shelby, the social history regarding taverns that you describe in your post is really interesting. I had never thought about how sectarian and non-sectarian colony leaders were both against drinking but for different reasons. It was really interesting to learn that many tavern owners were women and that they served African Americans. From this understanding it sounds like social, gender, and racial boundaries were less serious and more blurred among the lower levels of society.
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