The Dreadful Word: Speech Crime and Polite Gentlemen in Massachusetts, 1690-1776

This book explores how the criminalization, prosecution, and punishment of speech offenses in eighteenth-century New England established and legitimized a social and cultural regime of politeness, as white male gentility emerged as the pre-eminent model of authority. It demonstrates how ordinary people interacted with and shaped legal institutions.

Format: Hardback
Length: 258 pages
Publication date: 10 March 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This groundbreaking book, the first comprehensive study of criminal speech in eighteenth-century New England, delves into the intricate web of how the criminalization, prosecution, and punishment of speech offenses in Massachusetts played a pivotal role in establishing and legitimizing a social and cultural regime of politeness. Through meticulous analysis of provincial statutes and a vast array of criminal prosecutions, Kristin A. Olbertson compellingly argues that colonists underwent a profound transformation in their understanding of speech offenses, shifting from a fundamental perception of them as ungodly to one primarily characterized by impoliteness. As white male gentility emerged as the dominant model of authority, the records of criminal prosecution and punishment reveal a distinct cohort of politely pious men who sought to define themselves in stark contrast to the vulgar, impious, and unmanly.

"Law," as embodied in statutes and local courts, actively promoted and legitimized a specific vision of the king's peace, contributing to the consolidation and expansion of the British Empire. Within this remarkable work, Olbertson unveils the intricate ways in which ordinary individuals interacted with and shaped legal institutions, shedding light on the dynamic interplay between the law and society during this pivotal period.

Weight: 654g
Dimension: 158 x 278 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009098908
Edition number: New ed