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Revolutionary Spirits

In a new book, a BC-trained historian traces the role that taverns played in fomenting rebellion in Colonial America

Brooke Barbier PhD’09 knows her history—and her booze. She has authored two lauded books on the American Revolution and founded a popular tour of colonial-era taverns in Boston, where she lives.

Her new work, Cocked and Boozy: An Intoxicating History of the American Revolution, offers a rollicking account of the influence of tavern life and alcohol on the founding generation. Dedicated to Boston tavern workers then and now, Cocked and Boozy—just two of Benjamin Franklin’s 229 documented terms for drunkenness—explores the critical role that imbibing together played in igniting rebellion and building bonds of common cause among the founders. Tipping back spirits at bars steadied the patriots on their rocky road to independence, Barbier explained, helping colonists transform from British citizens into Americans.“

Historians rarely discuss the role of taverns in the American Revolution. And almost certainly neglect the role of alcohol,” she said. “Taverns are where the discussions about revolutionary ideas happened, where people gathered to discuss the growing political crisis. Opinions were formed in taverns.”

Nowhere did patriots plot sedition over their beers like in Boston, where the Sons of Liberty gathered at the Green Dragon Tavern to hatch plans for the Boston Tea Party and for Paul Revere’s legendary ride. It’s no coincidence, Barbier writes, that it was Bostonians, the largest rum distillers in the colonies, who led protests on the British Parliament’s tax on molasses in 1764, a key stepping stone to Revolution.In telling the tale of rebellion through the lens of alcohol (each chapter ends with an eighteenth-century cocktail recipe based on the founders’ preferred concoctions), Barbier provides a more complete picture of what fueled the revolutionaries. George Washington, we learn, brewed porter. Franklin penned drink formulas. Thomas Jefferson took Sangaree breaks while drafting the Declaration of Independence. Revolution was risky. Drinking helped.

“They were human beings,” Barbier said of the Founding Fathers. “Today, going out and having a drink with a friend is a wonderful way to connect. The same was true in the eighteenth century.” ◽

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Recipes Worth Reading

Cocked and Boozy includes instructions for revolutionary-era libations. Here’s one, a modern spin on Thomas Jefferson’s favored Sangaree. 

3 oz. Madeira1 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ oz. simple syrup

Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a wine glass. Top with a generous dash of freshly grated nutmeg.

Briefly

The Opinionated University: Academic Freedom, Diversity, and the Myth of Neutrality in American Higher Education
By Brian Soucek ’98

A law professor at the University of California–Davis, Soucek uses his experience within the higher education system to critique its response to modern social issues such as the debate on American campuses over diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Rather than attempt to maintain neutrality in today’s charged political climate, he argues, colleges and universities should adopt clear positions that align with their values.

Cracked Foundations: Debt and Inequality in Suburban America
By BC Associate Professor of History Michael Glass

The suburbs aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be, writes Glass, despite the myth that suburbanites uniformly have attained economic success and security. Using the postwar suburbs of Long Island as a case study, the historian examines how the pursuit of suburban utopia inspired many families to take on crippling debt, enforced racial segregation, and manufactured inequalities that persist today. 

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By Michael J. Norton ’78

This cheeky collectionof essays chroniclesNorton’s journey fromtype A nailbiter to calm yogi, and from beinga cynic to an optimist. Told through bits ofconversations in yoga classes and laden withhumor and pop-culture references, it detailshow a mindfulness practice quieted the “crazysquirrels” in his head and led to personaltransformation.

—Elizabeth Clemente

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