\How much drinking was going on in early New Jersey? This talk will explore the habit of drinking in New Jersey during the Revolutionary era and Early Republic – from commercial brewing to temperance advocates.  

Michele Rotunda is an Associate Professor of History at UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ. She earned her PhD in History from Rutgers University, and is the author of A Drunkard’s Defense: Alcohol, Murder, and Medical Jurisprudence in Nineteenth-Century America.

Tara Maharjan is an Electronic Records Archivist for the New Jersey State Archives. She holds Master's degrees from Simmons College in History and Library Science with a concentration in archives. Before working at the State Archives, she worked for Rutgers University's Special Collections and University Archives where she curated the New Jersey Beer Collection, the Internet Archive, and as a cookbook librarian for America's Test Kitchen.

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The New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance (NJSAA) is an interdisciplinary organization dedicated to advancing teaching and research about New Jersey. The organization brings together educators, historians, geographers, museum professionals, archivists, and librarians. As a proud RevolutionNJ Partner, NJSAA is excited to collaborate with Flounders Brewing in Hillsborough, NJ, to present a series of talks highlighting New Jersey and the 250th commemoration of the American Revolution. These talks are open to everyone and are all about making New Jersey’s Revolutionary past fun and easy to explore. Grab a drink, join the conversation, and connect with fellow history lovers and neighbors in a Revolutionary War era barn.