April Merleaux
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469622514
- eISBN:
- 9781469622538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469622514.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
This chapter examines changes in sugar policies during World War I as the United States took control of the Western Hemisphere's sugar supply and policymakers realized the importance of different ...
More
This chapter examines changes in sugar policies during World War I as the United States took control of the Western Hemisphere's sugar supply and policymakers realized the importance of different ethnic groups as sugar consumers. It considers the creation of the United States Food Administration headed by Herbert Hoover to control prices and distribution of sugar and other “key commodities” such as wheat, meat, and fats. It also discusses New York's “sugar famine” of 1917, the petition filed by Mexican and Chinese merchants for licenses to import and export lower-grade sugars, and the impact of wartime sugar policies on Eastern European Jewish, Chinese, and Mexican immigrants. Finally, it explores the effects of the war on the geography of sugar supply, with particular emphasis on prices, competition, and hierarchy in the sugar market.Less
This chapter examines changes in sugar policies during World War I as the United States took control of the Western Hemisphere's sugar supply and policymakers realized the importance of different ethnic groups as sugar consumers. It considers the creation of the United States Food Administration headed by Herbert Hoover to control prices and distribution of sugar and other “key commodities” such as wheat, meat, and fats. It also discusses New York's “sugar famine” of 1917, the petition filed by Mexican and Chinese merchants for licenses to import and export lower-grade sugars, and the impact of wartime sugar policies on Eastern European Jewish, Chinese, and Mexican immigrants. Finally, it explores the effects of the war on the geography of sugar supply, with particular emphasis on prices, competition, and hierarchy in the sugar market.
April Merleaux
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469622514
- eISBN:
- 9781469622538
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469622514.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
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 ...
More
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 other sweets, Americans saw sugar as the reward for their global ambitions. This book demonstrates that trade policies and consumer cultures are as crucial to understanding U.S. empire as military or diplomatic interventions. As America's sweet tooth grew, people debated tariffs, immigration, and empire, all of which hastened the nation's rise as an international power. These dynamics played out in the bureaucracies of Washington, D.C., in the pages of local newspapers, and at local candy counters. This book argues that ideas about race and civilization shaped sugar markets since government policies and business practices hinged on the racial characteristics of the people who worked the land and consumed its products. Connecting the history of sugarto its producers, consumers, and policy makers, the text shows that the modern American sugar habit took shape in the shadow of a growing empire.Less
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 other sweets, Americans saw sugar as the reward for their global ambitions. This book demonstrates that trade policies and consumer cultures are as crucial to understanding U.S. empire as military or diplomatic interventions. As America's sweet tooth grew, people debated tariffs, immigration, and empire, all of which hastened the nation's rise as an international power. These dynamics played out in the bureaucracies of Washington, D.C., in the pages of local newspapers, and at local candy counters. This book argues that ideas about race and civilization shaped sugar markets since government policies and business practices hinged on the racial characteristics of the people who worked the land and consumed its products. Connecting the history of sugarto its producers, consumers, and policy makers, the text shows that the modern American sugar habit took shape in the shadow of a growing empire.
