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[This page needs to be revised. In general, a Blue Blood was a
Republican in Massachusetts during the 1870s, which quickly popularized the
term "Boston Blue Blood" outside of the state. The Brahmin writings of
Oliver Wendell Holmes and others gave Boston the snobbish reputation
previous to the Blue Blood term.]
The term "blue blood" originated in Spain. It was used to
differentiate between people with pale skin (Europeans) from others. The veins appeared more blue due to the lighter skin. The term was
carried over from Spanish to English in the early 1800s.
Boston Blue Book
This author believes Clark's Boston Blue
Book greatly contributed to Boston society people being referred to as "Blue
Bloods." It was an extensive directory of Boston citizens.
Prominent areas of the city had lists of residents by street name.
Clark's also listed members of the society leagues, such as the Algonquin
and Somerset Clubs. The traditional reference "Boston Blue Blood"
relates to the wealthy Beacon Hill families of the mid-nineteenth century,
that had descended from the original land-owning Puritan colonists.
Blue Laws
In the 1900's, laws that restricted business and the sale
of alcohol on Sundays became widely known as the
"Blue Laws." In the past 25 years, most states have repealed or
weakened their Blue Laws. In colonial times, Blue Laws were passed to
observe the Christian Sabbath. In modern times, they were enacted to
provide a uniform day of rest. The term Blue Law does not
relate to Blue Blood. In the 1800's, Blue referred to strict
religious conviction, and as an example, using casual language, a "Blue
Nose" was a person with such convictions. A ban against
kissing in public was an early
blue law.
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