Thaddeus Russell investigates an interesting part of American history that is often ignored. He argues that the Founding Fathers disapproved of the revelry on display in eighteenth-century America. “On nearly every block…there was a public place where one could drink, sing, dance, have sex, argue politics, gamble, play games, or generally carouse with men, women, children, whites, blacks, Indians, the rich, the poor, and the middling. Rarely have Americans had more fun.”
I have not read the book, but his summary at Alternet is noteworthy. However, to come to his conclusion it seems that he has relied too heavily on John Adams and on Puritan leaders to make his case. It would have been more accurate to say “some early U.S. leaders.”
History Chick in AZ 