Assignment on History of Tea and Coffee in Colonial America
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Added on 2020-05-08
Assignment on History of Tea and Coffee in Colonial America
Added on 2020-05-08
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Running head: AMERICAN HISTORYAmerican Cultural StudiesName of the StudentName of the UniversityAuthor Note
1AMERICAN HISTORYThe essay illustrated that a community is complicit with power and capital andeffectively reshapes our personal understandings of the connections between various existingdimensions. Joseph elucidated a complex relationship between capitalism and a community. Theessay portrayed culturalization and localization of capitalism as positive development approachesthat created communal resistance or local opportunities. However, it also claimed that capitalismdid not constitute economic inequalities among communities. Thus, the findings from the essaysuggest that community not only assists power and capital to flow, it also plays an essential partin displacing the flows. The assignment would try to shed light on the history of tea and coffee incolonial America and its role in modifying the communities. Coffee is considered as a staple in the modern American society. The current coffeemarket in the United States is almost worth a $19 billion per year. However, coffee was lessavailable and not enjoyed as much as tea, its caffeine counterpart tea, in colonial America.Eventually coffee reached Europe in the sixteenth century.Prior to the importation of tea byDutch traders to Europe around 1610, Westerners were virtually unaware of its existence. Owingto the expense and scarcity of the beverage, it was served by the costly paraphernalia.Consumption of tea was considered as a form of leisure and was restricted to the uppercommunity. The expense made social tea drinking a prestigious custom (Regelski et al. 2017).Tea was found to have limited usage in America, showing consistency with the communities inEngland during the early 1700s. Wine, beer and ale were considered as fairly common drinksthan tea.These beverages were first valued due to curative powers. Gradually the stimulatingbrews began to be adopted by colonial Americans and led to the development of a number ofimportant social institutions, such as colonial coffeehouses and tea gardens. People began to
2AMERICAN HISTORYvalue the utensils that were used in their preparation. Brewing and serving tea was regarded as agracious art and a matter of sociability. It acted as a trigger for social and formal gatherings. Awell-equipped tea table would display teapots, slop bowls, milk or cream containers, tea andsugar canisters, teaspoons, tongs, cups and saucers (Gade 2017). The utensils were integral to thetea ceremony. Boston, Philadelphia and New York were considered as the epicenter forproduction of silver teapots. These pots mainly appeared on the tables of the affluent Americans.The silver teapots appeared polygonal, round or octagonal. The Continental and English styleswere emulated by American silversmiths (Wees 2017). The Coffee pots were tapered and talland contained curved pouring spout. Wooden handles were present to protect the hands of thepourer from the heat-conducting metals used in the pots. Variations such as urn-shapes in thepots emerged during the Rococo period and late 18th century. Chocolate was predicted to becomea favorite beverage after tea and coffee post the Boston tea party by Thomas Jefferson(Cluesheet.com 2017). This resulted in an increase in demand for chocolate pots that had coversmade up of removable or hinged finials that accomodated a molinet. A preference forneoclassical design led to the production of oval or drum shaped pots. Following impose on tea tax, consumption of herbal infusions or tea smuggling becamecommon among dissatisfied colonists. Several demonstrations were held to express the outrage.However, dissolution of all political hostilities reunited the community members at the tea table(Wees 2017). Thus, it can be stated that a community not only functions by power andcapitalism, but are globally connected by the beverages such as tea and coffee. They shaped thehistory and culture of colonial America by helping people connect with each other.
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