Welcome to 1790s Boston! With a population of 18,000, Boston ranks as the third largest city and seaport in the newly formed United States. The nation is young and eager to establish its national sovereignty, and Bostoners (as they called themselves) play a key role in politics and commerce.
Historical Persons
From the bow of the Embuscade, Edmond-Charles Genêt addressed the crowd that had formed along the wharf with the bombast of an accomplished actor. (In Pieces, Ch. 24)
Home and Hearth
Molly waved her hand about the kitchen. “Can you teach me to do all this?”
“You want to cook, child?”
“And clean. Laundry. Everything. I want to do things for myself.” (In Pieces, Ch. 12)
Fashion and Sewing
“I cannot believe this high waist!” Mrs. Peabody poked a pudgy finger at one of the fashion babies. “And such thin petticoats! Those French radicals are trying to change everything, aren’t they?” (In Pieces, Ch. 31)
Commerce and Nautical Life
Josiah rested his other arm on the table and turned fully to his bride. “Molly, you are a lifelong resident of a major seaport. You’ve lived within walking distance of water your entire life. This town is overrun with sailors, shipbuilders, ship chandlers, ropewalks—and you have never been in a boat?” (Adrift, Ch. 37)
Beacon Hill
They passed the ropewalks and turned onto Olive Street. Eliza’s arms swung at an even tempo as she walked past the small and then smaller timber frame houses occupied by Boston’s Africans. Tension eased from her back and shoulders with every step, and by the time she reached the end of the dirt street, her pace had slowed to a comfortable amble. (Adrift, Ch. 8)
Religion in Boston
Every time Sarah turned around, yet another Congregationalist church had turned Unitarian. Unitarians denied the divinity of Christ, the most fundamental Christian tenet. In her opinion, all of Boston needed to reread their catechism—or even the Bible itself would do. Watching her friends abandon the faith pained her. The situation kept her on her knees. (In Pieces, Ch. 6)
