Drinking in America: Our Secret History.
The following work summarizes the book Drinking in America, written by Susan Cheever. The key episodes of American history are presented from the perspective of drinking and alcoholism, giving an unusual and truly stunning perspective on well-known story.
Сhapter one
The first chapter tells us the story of the Pilgrims setting sail on the Mayflower ship from the perspective of beer consumption. Beer was a substitute for water in the 17th century, and the Mayflower’s passengers and crew had to consume a gallon of beer per day. Not only was beer helpful mentally for coping with the long and challenging journey, beer also was the only source of vitamin C in the voyagers’ diet, and daily consumption of it helped against developing scurvy. While only 2 people died on Mayflower’s deck during the voyage, nearly half of colonists died from famine and diseases on their first year in New England. One of the reasons for that was the lack of beer and the sources to brew it.
In the end the author concludes, that possibly, the Mayflower journey was not “cursed”, like many would believe, but it’s misfortunes were a logical effect of poor decisions, made under alcohol intoxication.
Chapter two
Pilgrims were soon followed by another migration wave of Puritans, who founded Boston. While both colonies developed, taverns became important social hubs in the colonies. Being the places of public gathering, they served as courthouses and other important buildings before they were constructed. Drinking had become so common, that even children were given flip (mixture of whiskey and juice) at breakfast. Some efforts were made to regulate the severe drunkenness, but they were unsuccessful. People’s effort to vote were rewarded with alcohol giveaways on polls, which turned one of the Founding Fathers, James Madison, to the ideas of a republican government. Common drunkenness also formed a certain independent thinking, that resulted in failing efforts of the British crown to establish their government in colonies. By the author’s version, the famous act of protest in Boston was supposed to be simply blocking the British ships from unloading, but the tipsy rebels got the last-minute decision to dump the tea into the water. The following two years of war with England happened because Sons of Liberty were drunk as fiddlers at the night of December 16, 1773.
Chapter three
Drunkenness grants their victims extraordinary courage, which is perfectly illustrated with the stories of American Revolution. The legendary Paul Revere, who was captured by British and persuaded them to let him go, the 70 drunk militiamen defeating 200 Red Coats at Lexington Green, Ethan Allen taking Ticonderoga - all those events described as cases of great bravery and high levels of intoxication.
Since the first effort to limit the drinking, there was a dilemma between considering drinking a God’s gift or a Devil’s allure. Drinking had been thought to be a good thing, because it was enjoying the gift of the Lord, and helped to cope severe winters of New England, but everyone observed …
