Maple Sugar and the Pursuit of American Self-sufficiency

Summary

In 1791, a Vermont writer using the pseudonym "Clergyman" urged farmers to transform maple sugaring into a patriotic industry during the idle "interregnum" of the state's muddy, unpredictable spring.

This movement sought to replace Caribbean cane sugar with domestic maple sugar, framing local production as both an economic boon for the young nation and a moral imperative to combat the slave trade.