What makes bars unique in American culture? Plus, I’ve worked in a neighborhood bar, so its function as a community center became clear to me. The American Revolution, Whisky Rebellion and Stonewall riots all came out of bars. On the Freedom Trail in Boston they talk about the Green Dragon Tavern, and in New York, George Washington said farewell to his troops at Fraunces Tavern. I used to travel around America a lot, and wherever I went it seemed that bars were important historic markers. contributor Rebecca Dalzell spoke with Sismondo about her book. Her new book, America Walks into a Bar, contends that local dives deserve more credit in history than they receive they are where conversations get started. Is happy hour a cornerstone of democracy? Yes, because chatting over a beer has often led to dramatic change, says Christine Sismondo, humanities lecturer at Toronto’s York University.
Museum of the City of New York / The Granger Collection, NYC According to author Christine Sismondo, taverns, such as the one shown here in New York City, produced a particular type of public sphere in colonial America.
