Consortiumblog: America's History of Intolerance

Saturday, January 29, 2011

By Robert Higgs
January 29, 2011

“Live and let live” would appear to be a simple, sensible guide to social life, but obviously many Americans reject this creed with a vengeance.

Mike Swanson said...: It might have been worthwhile if Mr. Higgs actually read something by the Puritans or read something about the Puritans by a reputable historian (I'd suggest Perry Miller), before relying on H. L. Mencken and I suspect too much 19th Century Romanticism like that of Nathaniel Hawthorne to write a not very accurate account of who those people were. They published the first book of poetry in the Colonies (by a woman,nonetheless). They wore Red and Lace (horrors, not black?) They played fiddles. They fined a husband for not "pleasuring" his wife. His wife brought the suit.

By the way the name of the organization was the Women's Christian Temperance Union not Society Even Wikipedia could have told Mr. Higgs that.; Tue Feb 01, 07:20:00 AM 2011

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