Sugar and Civilization

By April Merleaux,

Book cover of Sugar and Civilization: American Empire and the Cultural Politics of Sweetness

Book description

In the weeks and months after the end of the Spanish-American War, Americans celebrated their nation's triumph by eating sugar. Each of the nation's new imperial possessions, from Puerto Rico to the Philippines, had the potential for vastly expanding sugar production. As victory parties and commemorations prominently featured candy and…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Sugar and Civilization as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This easily digestible book is a must read for understanding the ways that the late-19th-century Sugar Trust and candy stores influenced early-20th-century imperial debates surrounding immigration and tariffs.

Merleaux’s enterprising study gets to the heart of how the American sweet tooth carved out many of the nation’s imperial cavities in the Caribbean and Asia-Pacific. 

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