This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Christmas Banished Then Welcomed Across Our Land
A reflection on how Puritans criminalized Christmas in 1658 with fines and blue laws banning feasting and music, contrasted with later acceptance by colonies from Plymouth to New Orleans. The piece recalls Governor Bradford’s harsh lectures, the shift from punishment to celebration, and the present unity of Christmas across the nation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pilgrim Fathers
Plymouth Colony
General Court of
Massachusetts
Blue Laws
Connecticut
William Bradford
Eveland
London Company
Virginia
Jamestown
Bradford
Manhattan
New Amsterdam
Maryland
Great Lakes
de Bienville
Bienville
la Salle
Mobile
Canada
France
Alejandro O'Reilly
Louisiana
Stern
New England
Boston
New Orleans
Holland
Nia
Sieur