Critics pointed out that Stowe had never been to the South, but her novel became a bestseller in the North (banned in the South) and the most effective bit of propaganda to come out of the abolitionist movement. It galvanized many who had been sitting on the sidelines.
blue law. 1. any puritanical law that forbids certain practices, especially drinking or working on Sunday, dancing, etc.
Drawing on the history of Blue Laws and Prohibition, Yandle noted that public policies tend to be supported by bootleggers, who saw their incomes increase as a result of a particular policy (as bootleggers did under Prohibition and under Blue Laws), and Baptists, who supported public policies for moral reasons (Baptists tended to support prohibition and Blue Laws because they believed that alcohol was evil).