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History & Classics Undergraduate Theses History & Classics
12-15-2015
Brewing Identity: The Tavern’s Imprint on the American Revolution
Cailin Edgar Providence College
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Edgar, Cailin, "Brewing Identity: The Tavern’s Imprint on the American Revolution" (2015). History & Classics Undergraduate Theses. 15. https://digitalcommons.providence.edu/history_undergrad_theses/15
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Brewing Identity The Tavern’s Imprint on the American Revolution
by Cailin Edgar HIS 490 History Honors Thesis
Department of History Providence College Fall 2015
For Mom and Dad, who have always supported me, And for Charlie, who never let me quit.
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CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………………………… v
INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………….. 1
CHAPTER 1. LANDSCAPE & TOPOGRAPHY: EARLY TAVERNS IN BOSTON …….. 7 Collapsing into “Rhode Islandism” …………………………………………………. 9 Location, Location, Location ……………………………………………………… 19 “The Commonness of the Tavern” ………………………………………………… 25
CHAPTER 2. TAVERN TALK: PRINT AND COMMUNICATION ……………………... 47 Going Postal …………………………………………………………………………. 49 “This Is To Inform the Publick” ……………………………………………………... 59 A Toast! ………………………………………………………………………………. 62 “Revolutionary Reading Places” ……………………………………………………... 73 Declarations of Common Sense ……………………………………………………… 76 Networks and the Making of One Nation United …………………………………….. 83
CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………………………. 85
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………………………………. 86
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project was funded by a research grant from the Providence College Center for Engaged Learning, directed by Dr. William Hogan. I am grateful to have been awarded this opportunity. Likewise, Dr. Adrian Weimer has emerged as an unexpected advocate of my work. I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Weimer for taking the time to review my thesis with such care, as well as for her heartening commendation of my final project. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Steven Carl Smith, my professor and advisor. His enthusiasm for his work and engaged approach to sharing it with others ignited the first spark of this project a year and a half ago. His love for the stories embedded in print materials and their greater influence on the people and the growth of the nation has informed my understanding of history in a new way. I appreciate his guidance and encouragement, his eagerness to show me the ways of the print world, and his confidence in my capabilities. I will never fear a less than perfect first draft and I will certainly keep telling stories.
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To my parents, Jeffrey and Johnna Edgar, I owe a lifetime of gratitude. Their continuous love, support, and willingness to aid me in this process however possible reassured me along the way. My research was made