Sweetness and power.

There is a book called History in Five Glasses (or something to that effect) that deals with the influence certain beverages have had on human society. The Roman Empire spread wine and vineyards with its conquests. Coffee helped to promote the Enlightenment. Coca-Cola became the hallmark of American influence. It is possible that I will recommend this book later on in the semester.

The reason I bring this topic up, as you might have guessed, pertains to the role Mintz implies sugar played in England and the Industrial revolution. The argument put forth is interesting, as sugar alone was not endowed with symbolism or a persona the way something like cotton was in the U.S. Rather, sugar was an impressive item because it created change and evolved beyond its original purposes. While it began as essentially a luxury for the wealthy, control of the item was wrestled away from planters and elites by free-trade advocates and early Capitalists. This idea is particularly amusing for me, as it would seem the consumers and Middlemen back home in England effectively turned the tables on those who actually produced the sugar. Additionally, not only did this begin the start of enterprising, but also allowed cheap sugar to influence the common folk culturally. Sugar was both a way of imitating the elite, but also as a way to regulate work and time (another hallmark in advanced industrial societies.)

All of this said, however, it would seem that the evolution of sugar did depend on structures and cultures already in place. As Mintz points out, for example, the production of sugar did require some proto-industrial methods. Perhaps some of this understanding diffused out to those who would begin the endeavor of capitalism. Perhaps more potently, consider the role Mercantilism might have played. Not only did it allow the growth of the "sugar industry" in its infancy, but it allowed for a kind of national monopoly on the substance. Even before Englishmen from all walks of life were consuming sugar, it already had a prefabricated history as a source of national pride and strength, which in turn made it a definitely "English" activity when it was consumed with tea. Perhaps it was not only the desire to move up the social ladder that promoted sugar consumption, but also allowed for a sense of belonging in the industrial-imperial machine.