Origins of Rum
In the early 1600's sugar was king. To supply the demand great sugarcane plantations where built in the Caribbean. Molasses was a discarded by product of the sugar making process; until someone discovered distilling it created an interesting beverage. Killdevil or rumbillion as rum was first called, soon became popular with all strata of society. Slaves, indentured servants, and wealthy plantation owners consumed 900,000 gallons of it on Barbados in 1655. Rum was born, and it was a big hit.
Pirates and Rum
The tales of pirates and rum have been intertwined for centuries. From the fictional Long John Silver singing, "Yo Ho Ho, and a bottle of rum", to the factual Henry Morgan. Morgan built his reputation on pillaging cities on the Spanish Main, including Portobello where he held the entire city hostage until they paid ransom. After being appointed Governor of Jamaica he spent his final years swilling rum in bawdy Port Royal with other pirates. Blackbeard, another famed rummy pirate who kept his crews fired up with the stuff, was notorious for igniting his rum with gunpowder before drinking it. He died in a wild battle while chugging rum and jeering at his adversaries. After being decapitated, his skull was turned into a bowl, serving rum punch to sailors in Williamsburg, Virginia
Rum in the Military
Rum's motivational effect on the military is legendary. For 315 years Great Britain's Royal Navy served daily tots of rum to their sailors with grand ceremony and tradition. A daily spoonful of rum is considered one of the incentives for survival on the epic voyage of Captain Bligh and his crew after being set a drift by the mutinous Fletcher Christian. 9,000 gallons of rum was used to recruit colonial militiamen for decisive battles against General Burgoyne in the American Revolution. During the Christmas Truce of WWI, which is considered one of the greatest humanitarian events in any war, rum as traded for wine between German and American troops while they sang Christmas carols.
Rum and Revolution
Rum was a major motivation factor for the American Revolution. Consumed in thousands of taverns, it was the largest manufactured commodity in Colonial America. The wealth from rum and its subsequent taxation bolstered the desire for autonomy from Great Britain. Drinking rum was a symbol of freedom. Members of the Sons of Liberty, including Paul Revere, drank rum from a symbolic punch bowl the night before the Boston Tea Party. Once the war began, General George Washington wanted government distilleries built to ensure an ample supply of rum for his troops. The revolution ran on rum.
Rum and Slavery
Rum was a key ingredient of the triangle trade between America, Africa, and the Caribbean. New England rum was traded for slaves in Africa, which were sold in the Caribbean to buy molasses to distill more rum in New England. A slave could be bought for 200 gallons of rum and sold for even more molasses. Hundreds of thousands of African slaves endured torturous conditions in bondage throughout North and South America for hundreds of years, with rum as the currency of trade. Slowly the world called for slavery's abolition as indicated by the United States' Emancipation Proclamation in 1862.
Rum-Runners
With the outlawing of liquor, beer and wine in 1919, the rough and tumble trade of smuggling rum into the U.S. attracted larger than life characters. Bill McCoy a boat builder from Florida started rum-row; a fleet of ships anchored just outside U.S. territory limits selling liquor to anybody brave enough to dash the gauntlet of Coast Guard patrols. Al Capone, a small time gangster from New York built an empire around smuggling rum from Cuba to Chicago. Queen Lill, a farmer's daughter from Vermont owned a speakeasy straddling the Canadian border. When she was raided by the police, patrons just walked to the Canadian side of the building.
Rum and Rituals
Rum has found its way into symbolic occasions. It was an integral element of weddings and funerals in the 17th and 18th century, consumed in ritualistic fashion with fanfare, revelry, and solemnity. Today in Central America the Garifuna culture uses rum to cleanse bodies of the dead before they are buried. An essential part of Voodoo ceremonies, rum is often mixed with blood and drunk to summon the spirits. It was one such ceremony that prompted the Haitian revolution in 1804. In Bermuda when a new building is completed, the roof is doused with rum, toasting the structure and its contents.
Rum and Modern Culture
Romanticized by the writings and life of Ernest Hemingway as well as President Kennedy, celebrated in song by the Andrew Sisters, and whimsically adorned in Tiki bars and tropical resorts, rum enters the modern age as a vibrant part of our culture. Consumed more now that at any point in its history, rum supports major rock concerts, sporting events, and a host of causes. Major rum brands have created cultural icons representing their product. Rum has helped create the modern international corporation. Rum has indeed endured, illuminating the strengths and weaknesses of humankind, and ultimately providing a reflection of ourselves.
