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Sylvester Graham (1794-1851) was a preacher, temperance worker and
food reformer popular with many mid-nineteenth century Americans.
"Known
now only
for the brown cracker that bears his name, Graham was the forerunner of
a long line of crusaders, crackpots, and enterprising capitalists who
have shaped the food habits of all Americans. The popularity of
his spartan diet came in part because for most Americans in the early
nineteenth century it seemed easier to fix oneself than so much else in
the country that needed change. Slavery was still a social norm.
Women throughout the United States were not allowed to vote or own
property, and were expected to wear cage-like corsets and long skirts
that could easily catch fire near open hearths. Children were
considered the property of their parents. Medical practice of the
day was primitive. Spittoons for chewing tobacco
attested to the general
indifference to public sanitation. And the typical American diet
was not much better, consisting largely of corn, pork, molasses,
puddings and pies, and potatoes cooked in lard, with plenty of whiskey
to wash it all down". (From Hardtack to Home Fries An Uncommon History
of American Cooks & Meats, Barbara Haber, p. 62)
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March, 1838, Lynn,
Massachusetts