Quaff & Quill: Book Talk with Jordan B. Smith

Join the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies for a talk with Professor Jordan B. Smith (Widener University) about his new book, The Invention of Rum: Creating the Quintessential Atlantic Commodity (2025) to learn the complex history of rum, from its production to its consumption, and from its origins in the Caribbean to its impact on the Atlantic world.

It was strong. It was cheap. It was ubiquitous. Fermented and distilled from the refuse of sugar production, rum emerged in the seventeenth-century Caribbean as a new commodity. To conjure something desirable from waste, the makers, movers, and drinkers of rum arrived at its essential qualities through cross-cultural experimentation and exchange. Those profiting most from the sale of rum also relied on plantation slavery, devoured natural resources, and overlooked the physiological effects of overconsumption in their pursuit of profit. Focusing on the lived experiences of British colonists, Indigenous people, and enslaved Africans, The Invention of Rum shows how people engaged in making and consuming this commodity created a new means of profit that transformed the Atlantic world.

Light refreshments will be served.

Presented in partnership with the Huguenot & New Rochelle Historical Association.

For in person registration, click HERE.

To register for the Zoom webinar, click HERE.