-1Usually when people think of rum we associate it with being just another
alcoholic beverage. Today, many college students use rum for another way to get drunk
on the weekends after a long week of classes. It is also safe to say that the majority of
people are not thinking of the history behind the beverage they are drinking up to twist
their senses. However Ian Williams does and he takes great interest in the alcoholic
beverage Americans have come to know and love as rum. Williams, author of Rum: A
Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776, undoubtedly captures the history
of rum in this 340-page account of early America. His vast knowledge of American
history along with his fascination with rum conveys to us a historical account of the
impact this luxury had on early America. Through recounting events Williams writes a
comprehensive history of rum, which definitely shows that there is more to rum than it
just being an alcoholic beverage. Ian Williams’ excellent use of detail makes for an
interesting read. Each chapter and section holds more and more information connecting
rum to our roots. From the origins of rum in the tropical islands of the Caribbean to the
events leading up to the Revolution to events afterwards Williams’s great story telling
and details is what makes The Real Spirit of 1776 a hit. Ian Williams surely passes on the
spirit of 1776 to all readers of his book.
As the UN correspondent for Nations magazine and also a columnist for the New
York Observer and New York magazine, Williams instantly connects us to where his
interest in rum began. Growing up in Liverpool, Ian Williams looked forward to
Christmas time the most in which the smell of rum and other luxuries filled the house
fixing young Williams on rum for life. However it wasn’t until later on in his life that he
began to study and collect this obsession (Williams preface). “I studied their (vintage
-2rums) taste, the methods of distilling, and, increasingly, the history…. I began to collect
rum on my travels and my collection includes Kazakh, Czech, Croat, Thai, Hawaiian,
Indian, Nepalese, Argentinean, Australian, and German rums” (Williams 2). Williams
reveals his credibility as an author on the subject of rum. He’s been all over the world
studying the history and tastes of different cultures rum. He studies, collects, and really
knows an extensive amount on many different rums and their history. Williams is a
historian. He wrote this book to inform people that rum played a huge role in early
America. Williams does just that. His knowledge takes readers on a voyage into history.
He begins the journey at the beginning or origins of rum of course. In the opening
chapters of his book, Williams uses excellent detail and examples connecting different
civilizations to the cultivation of sugar and ultimately the creation of rum. We’re taken to
the Caribbean where “the crucial connections between peoples, European, African, and
American, with their respective technologies, came together to be distilled into rum”
(Williams 17). Being in the most tropical region of the world, Barbados was like summer
year round making it a perfect spot for the growing needs of sugarcane and eventually the
production of rum from sugar.
After Williams is through with the in depth look at the origins of rum he takes us
into the life of American colonization and the role of rum leading up to the American
Revolution. “Rum distillation soon became the colonies’ biggest manufacturing industry
and a major export as well” (Williams 66). Rum was basically bringing the colonies
income. Williams shows that rum was traded to the British, increasing the popularity of
rum, bringing more money to the colonists through trade.
-3The title, “Rum: A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776” is best
conveyed in this middle section of Williams book. Williams goes in depth saying that
everyone was drinking in the colonies back then, even Puritans. Everyone celebrated at
social events bringing rum to the occasion. It was socially accepted to drink and celebrate
with alcohol and Williams does a great job showing this through letters and rhymes from
the colonists. All throughout the book Williams refers to rum as being the spirit. This
directly connects rums role to the meaning of the title. Williams shows that rum was in
fact a huge player in the road to independence. It is suggesting that not so much rum itself
but the drama and politics behind rum was the strength and courage that drove colonists.
However rum isn’t usually associated with the American Revolution but Williams shows
it was definitely around in the background causing some stir. We see this by the taxes
imposed by the British. By incorporating many of these things in his book, Williams’
excellently portrays the social aspects of rums history.
Williams mentions many different taxes that ultimately led to the Revolution.
“Taxes on molasses and rum threatened the whole economic development of the
colonies…. And there, fermenting away, was one of the major causes of the American
Revolution” (Williams 125). Acts such as the Molasses Act were major factors that drove
colonies to independence. Taxing something people love when it was never taxed before
would certainly cause uproar. These acts are political and could also be considered a
social spirit. They outraged people. Williams saw this and incorporated it into the
meaning of the spirit.
In the book, Williams gives readers a look into the real spirit. One of Williams’s
strongest writing characteristics has to be his ability to provide great details, facts and
-4observations to what he is explaining. He takes us from where rum all started with
different civilizations, names of rum, slave labor, and weather patterns in the Caribbean.
He then goes into the life of the early settlers explaining how much rum was valued. At
many points readers might wonder what the purpose of certain information is even doing
in the book. However upon reading you quickly realize Williams’s intention and a
connection between all the information provided is made. Williams’s ability to provide
detail and examples is evident throughout the earlier sections of his book. This is
effective in helping the reader appreciate what life was like, how rum came about and
ultimately showing readers the spirit of the times.