Peter C. Mancal Quotes


When drinkers became violent, communities accepted the idea that liquor was responsible for their actions; it made no sensate punish the person who committed the crime when the true offender was the alcohol.


Context

He was describing the way that the Colonial America, Native American communities coped with the adverse consequence of violence brought about by liquor which had been given to the Indians by white traders for the purpose of impairing the Indians’ judgment so that they would trade more easily and on better terms. Since then and into the 21st century, business people have entertained’ potential customers with alcohol for the same general purposes.


Citations

Quoted in Lucy Murphy, Great Lakes Creoles, 2014

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

Related Quotes

At the time, the traders were mostly French who traded all kinds of goods and especially alcohol—usually rum—for fur animal pelts. Many of the Indians were partial to the French and French oriented traders who did not covet their land and would provide the Indians with alcohol and guns, lead and powder while English traders sometimes tried to restrict these items. Many tribes of American Indians are genetically very susceptible to alcohol—both in terms of immediate impairment—getting drunk and in developing a dependency on having alcohol—addiction or alcoholism.


Modern research has shown that the earliest deleterious effect of alcohol is impaired judgment and perception. It is fascinating that in this important set of advice from the chief God Odin, this was the problem that was focussed upon.


This is one of the earliest observations of the fact that after drinking alcohol, a person is apt to speak without his usual inhibitions and judgment. This has been the downfall of many politicians and is the largest problem of maintaining secrecy and confidentiality.


When Washington was younger and running for the colonial Virginia assembly, he bought beer and rum for all the voters in his precinct. He did not then realize the damage that alcohol can do. One of the commonalities between Lincoln and Washington were their experience in seeing alcohol cause the death and/or ruination of many. See {630832}.


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  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: Historian