The War On Salt - 1776
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- Опубликовано: 26 фев 2023
- Salt was one of the most important commodities of the 18th century. We take salt for granted in our day-to-day lives but at times in history it was the difference between life and death.
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“The Salt must flow!…”
Another success story for capitalism
@@MikehMike01 To be honest, a manageable salt economy came back, but how many perished (miserably in most cases!) to make it possible? Economies do not have souls or consciences or care about a God; people do.
Also, what were native Americans (aka American Indians) doing for foodstuffs? Could something have been learned along that avenue that needed either no salt or less salt?
One can dry beans, also known as "Leather Britches". I have a string of them hanging on a sewing thread. No need for salt for that. One can sun dry tomatoes. One can also pick every green tomato they have before a frost and place in a paper bag to ripen up. I've eaten my own tomatoes the last two years into December.
@@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648 Indians dried their beans and corn. Squash keeps for a long time if stored and cured correctly(Three Sisters).
I appreciate the care with which he said “Ship Loads” 😂
This Scottish lady with a very thick accent would buy donuts from me at the bakery I work at. She said she loves them but they have a shed load of calories...I was wondering why she said that to me then later I was like " OH SHED LOAD!".
I noticed that too haha. I woulda messed it up and said shit loads for sure.
Saturday night live when it was good Sean Connery impression is what I immediately thought of!
Thank you for bringing my attention to this
@@ritzharris1303 we need a blooper reel of this episode
It's crazy how much a single mineral was so pivotal to human society.
Without salt people die.
As one Chinese scholar observed hundreds of years ago: "You can take away man's sugar, spices and even meat - and he will remain healthy. But take away his salt, and in a fortnight he will be weak as a kitten."
True, but then there's also the polymer cellulose that completely dwarfs that.
@@Yora21 Is that even a mineral
@@Yora21 not really.. salt is literally required for human survival... you die without it... granted, cellulos is literally what makes the cell walls of plants, and as such was an essential part of the evolutionary process... but if you just mean cellulos as a polymer for the purpose of human use, then no, its less important than salt.
you should have just said carbon....
Honestly, we use salt so much I kinda forget how much we take it for granted
mammals can't live without salt
We do? Remind me what a salt shaker looks like... I forget lol
you take it for granted
*granulated
@@rangerjay7971 Guarantee your food is bland
From a historical perspective, it's interesting how so many foods we like for taste originated as a way to preserve food beyond harvest. Curing, pickling, smoking, salting. Making wheat into dried pasta, etc.
this is really interesting
Taste is a luxury in our modern world.
It makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, if you think about it. The people who preferred the taste of preserved food were less likely to die from foodborne illnesses, and thus those genes that like the taste of preserved food got passed down to us.
@@micah.101that makes no sense taste was a luxury in 1700s not in the modern times any one can get spices in the dollar store
Even more interesting that they want to eliminate it completely because "they" say it's unhealthy. Ever wonder why people who cut salt out of their diets have so many digestive issues? Guess what ingredient is necessary to produce stomach acid..... You could go down a rabbit-hole just on that alone. Who says it's bad? Who owns the publication who wrote the story? Who also owns the company who makes medicine for acid reflux etc...... Ok I'll go put my tinfoil hat away now.
This channel is truly the salt of the earth.
Matthew 5:13-20 ESV
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. [14] "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. [17] "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. [19] Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Zing
I must say I'm loving the new "historical storytelling" type videos you've been releasing on specific subjects/items. I hope the views are good because I certainly want more
Agreed! These videos are so informative but really fun, like the George Washington pizza one. :)
I know , I'm loving it too. I hope many people have the same sensibilities.
Same!
If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus Is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. -Romans 10:9
"Being so valuable, soldiers in the Roman army were sometimes paid with salt instead of money. Their monthly allowance was called "salarium" ("sal" being the Latin word for salt). This Latin root can be recognized in the French word "salaire" - and it eventually made it into the English language as the word "salary."
Language is so fascinating
Awesome info, thank you!
It was more of a salt ration
This is not so. It's a misconception that the legions were paid in salt; in reality being paid with coin. They did receive salt as a ration however, though by that same logic we could say they were paid in wheat, pork fat, olive oil or vinegar.
@@belthesheep3550 Bingo, although to be fair, things like giving workers clothing, "free" meals or health insurance* could be seen as alternative forms of payment. Someone once told me that since adverse working conditions make people not want to do jobs, spending money to make a job cushier could be seen as a form of payment, since you wouldn't need as high of compensation to lure people in and a comfortable work environment is substiting for money.
*The us government set a cap on wages during World War 2, which started the practice of giving health insurance as an incentive, since employers couldn't pay more.
I can't remember where I read it but I saw one source that said to took 40 pounds of salt to preserve the meat from the standard butcher weight hog (about 200-250 pounds). I also saw Ruth Goodman from the BBC Farm series of documentaries saying they would also use it as an abrasive cleanser to sterilize wooden dairy tools as a high enough concentration could kill any bacteria that had built up on the surface of buckets, churns and kegs.
Some of the oldest salt mines in the world are located in Poland, in towns of Wieliczka and Bochnia. Both established in the mid 13th century, they kept commercially extracting salt until 1990s. They operate to this day as museums and tourist attractions with countless sculptures, engravings and entire huge underground chapels, all carved out of rock salt by generations of miners who worked there.
Almost all of the U.S. was supplied by salt from the city I grew up in. There is a constant salt spring from under a lake. The water was boiled.
I really needed to hear this. With the prices increasing and the supply chain issues we are facing (specially in the islands and Alaska) I sometimes forget that this too shall pass.
Sending lots of love to everyone at Townsends from Puerto Rico.
What you need to know is that as in the salt blockade of 1776, our shortages today are due to hostile government actions. Some of them are called sanctions but they are in reality, blockades of their own people preventing access to cheap energy and abundant food.
Nice to see a fellow rican enjoying some townsends content. Cheers!
Wepa! Boricua in Texas over here!
@@TheBelrick Sanctions are better than all our war though. Nations leverage each other in different ways.
@@goodluckgoofy3354 if you don't want war, why did you say nothing when the, so called "your government" invaded uk-raine in 2014?
I recommend the book "Salt" by Mark Kurlansky for those who are interested in learning more about the history of the substance. And I appreciate your conclusion about relying on the import of critical goods
Fantastic book. Also, his book COD is really great and I recommended it back when Townsends did a stock fish episode.
Thanks for the recommendation. I am curious about this history!
mineral
That book is so good that I actually have a Kindle and a paperback version. And I hadn't had a chance to read them but he also has books on the history of milk and cod.
The game "league of legends" is also a seminal work.
This video was worth its salt.
BTW--LOVE LOVE LOVE the little animations of period woodcuts, etc!
The first ancestor of one of my family lines came over in 1632 with Governor Winthrop as a salt maker. He was given a land grand of 640 acres near Salem Mass. by King James as inducement for making the voyage across the sea. This video really gives me an idea of how important of a job that was!
how cool. and its so neat that you know that
Did he retire a rich man? Or did he live long enough to retire?
@@chrissewell1608 lived until 1684 aged 71. His estate was valued at £281 6s or about $80k so not awful. Enough land to divy up between all the kids.
@@sinisterbohemian 640 acres is exactly 1 square mile plus 280 odd pounds in saving is that’s the estate of a upper middle class tradesman but not as much as a merchant or nobleman
My first ancestor in the new world arrived in 1648 at Lancaster Colony in Pennsylvania. They were a Palatine Bishop. But then they got exiled to Ohio for having a different interpretation or something like that. I think they became or were Mennonite or something I don’t remember.
One of my favourite fairytales is the one where the princess tells her father she'd love him like salt. We truly take it for granted and would have massive problems without it but this video made it clear to me how much more dependent people used to be from it in the past
I'm reading Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky, I just today got to the Americas in the 1800s. An hour ago I was thinking to myself how I wish Townsends would make a video about salt and BAM I log in to youtube to see this hahahaa.
You guys are fantastic!
He also wrote Cod and The Basque history of the world
Salt use was key in the medieval period too, especially for inland use of fish, and way back into antiquity. Great video, really well filmed and presented too.
Oh, hi Jason!
Jason appreciation
Hello Jason. How’s the Mule with No Name doing?
Salt is so important in making Leather, Animal Fur and Rawhide for clothes and equipment. Parchment and Vellum for Books.
I enjoyed this video. I noticed the new flavor of editing with sounds and animated visuals, it adds a more immersive feeling almost like an infographics show. Good job!
Oh, and I like salt (and nutmeg). 🙂
Completely agree, and I absolutely adore the b-roll too!
I was born and raised in Syracuse NY, the "Salt" city. There had been many large salt mines there, I believe, during the 18th and 19th centuries
Same here in the fingerlakes! Salt mines and natural springs with salt all over.
315 represent! Salt potatoes!
This is a great history lesson! I never knew about the salt blockade
I worked in a salt field as a salt harvester for 8 months, only using traditional methods, it's very tough work
I used to live near Booneslick Missouri. Daniel Boone found the salt spring and started evaporating the water for the salt industry.
Hey John, my mom just passed away last Thursday. I’ve been watching your videos every night as they’ve helped me relax and escape her death. You also helped me through my father’s passing in 2021. I just want to thank you for the wonderful content you produce, as it’s given me something to look forward to in good times and bad. And I’m sure there are tons of stories just like mine. Thank you very much.
My condolences. My godmother just passed three weeks ago. It's not the same, I'm sure. I empathize. Stay strong
I'm sorry you lost both in such a short time span, hopefully there's brighter times ahead for us all.
My condolences, stranger. May your conditions improve!
💕
May God give you comfort and rest.
Sheesh, John put his hands in a lot of salt for this video. Keep up the great work.
I guess John is worth his salt!
Economic history on Townsends?! As an econ major I'm very happy right now 🥳
I suffer from ptsd anxiety and depression but when I came across your channel I was hooked because the relaxation of your videos calm me down I learn how to cook awesome recipes and learn about history at the same time. Thank you!
If instead of Renaissance Faires we had 18th Century Faires, it would be the coolest thing in the world to hang out at a tavern with Mr. Townsends slinging tales about things like salt.
Great video of the history of salt. Now we need a video on how to preserve with salt 🧂 and all the different salts.
Based on this video, salt really is something worth fighting for especially in the days of no refrigeration.
The salt mines of Austria are worth a visit.
Townsend always on point with the production value
TV studio quality FOR FREE
Salt never looked tastier or cooler than through this huge collection of Salty B roll you displayed.
That was a great video. I keep large bags of salt on hand in case of a long power outage so I can salt the meats, fish and poultry I have in the freezer so it doesn't go bad.
Salt has been a major staple product not only for flavouring food, but also for preservation of food for thousands of years! Look up ancient Egyptian and African cuisines; salt was so important!
Mansa Musa as well with salt mines
I expected John to mention the phrase "worth your weight in salt".
This is why I always buy coarse grain salt whenever I find it on sale at the grocery store. It’s handy stuff. Useful for preserving food and other things, handy to add a handful to my blacksmithing quench bucket every winter to make sure it won’t freeze too quickly.
Great video, John. In these times when some people are stocking up. An easy miss is salt. Because it's an everyday thing, we take for granted.
In Syracuse NY the Onondagas showed the settlers the salt springs that they used to cure meat. That’s why Syracuse is called “salt city”
Today Cargil has salt mines in the area
Mr Townsend the message at the end of your video was much needed. You've always helped me have faith in the world I'm helping shape. Thank you for your continued work preserving our history and showing us it's the past that will show us our future, one building block at a time!
This makes me want to keep a barrel of salt in my garage
Salt was so important that interference with a supply could lead to bloodshed. The El Paso Salt War comes to mind. People traveled through serious desert to harvest salt from dry lake beds.
This video is a great microcosm of why it’s important to study history. There is nothing new under the sun.
Daniel Boone and friends and family spent dangerous time boiling water at a salt spring to make salt. Many died including at least one of Daniel’s children when they were attacked by the natives. A lot of people lost their lives doing this and that really shows the importance of salt in the frontier.
There is a large medieval salt mine in Poland in Wieliczka and now, knowing how important and profitable salt was back in the day, it makes sense why salt from it was called "white gold"
That mine operated non stop from at least early 11th century all the way until 1996 and contributed heavily to crown budget all the way until the Partitions of Poland in 18th century.
Salt was the main method of preserving food all the way until refrigeration became widespread in 20th century. It was also used for so many other things like washing clothes and so on.
Funny that salt-runners back then were exactly the same as today’s “illicit substance” runners for a year or two. Thanks for another great video my friend.
This needs to be taught as part of an Economics Class.
Jon, your skill in writing and presenting these lessons is very impressive and much appreciated.
I would love to see you cover some more of the salt provisions, their prep and care, cooking with them, etc. It's something I've always been curious about.
also, I couldn't help but thinking about "Monte Kali" in Germany. It's a table salt moutian that is spoils from a mine harvesting something else. people SKI down it
I was in Germany and first found out about salt mining. Makes since, Salzburg means salt castle.
Perfect timing on this upload. As someone who wants to start homesteading at some point in the next decade, the topic of how to acquire salt naturally came to my mind a few days ago.
Me,too. Isn't that funny. But I just looked up other herbs to use in place of salt. If things got that bad I don't have a fresh meat source let alone a need to preserve it.
I love the optimism this channel brings. Aside from looking to use past lessons to solve future problems, studying history really brings to light how good we have it today in so many ways.
Salt cod was a currency between the continents before pilgrims were born. I've lived in Maine for 40 years, and have sadly seen quality, choice, and availability decline.
I've not seen finnan haddie for years, and used to buy fresh herring on the docks in Portland.
Knowledge, memory, are disappearing so quickly!
I LOVE Finnan haddie!
I miss New England style corned beef.
Corning beef is incredibly simple to do!@@barbaraferron7994
Last night I was watching various videos about salt production in the world. I think the French got it right. Tide pools and rake up the salt. Tastes good. Now I find you're talking about salt. Maybe it's on everyone's mind, who knows?
I'm in Bullitt County, Kentucky where the Salt River flows through and the although the county seat is now Shepherdsville, it was at one time known as "Saltsburg" as this area was founded on salt production from the late 1700's, aiding in the westward expansion.
LOL I loved how you had to enunciate hard on the shiPloads of salt being produced XDXDXD
A good man with a good message of hope, and also learning about history which is always great. Always be wholesome Mr. Townsend! Always a highlight to see a new video from you.
Of the Townsends videos I have watched recently, this one has been most informative and most entertaining. I did not realize salt played so crucial a role in so many aspects of living 200 plus years ago!
Oh yes, African and indigenous people had been salting food for thousands of years! Best way to travel with their food!
The industrial salt marshes near where I live are now an important bird sancturary since they closed.
What a great little documentary. I enjoy the history lessons on this channel.
Thank you for this, John. It is both interesting and inspiring. 📜🙏🏻✨ You have such a caring heart and a warm way of delivery. 🙂 I appreciate you and the whole team for all that you do! 🏆
Great history lesson, I do enjoy your history stories. Keep up the good work and God bless.
"Ship" loads hahaha I loved the slow down for that well done sir.
Very good episode ! BTW, I just ordered a Birch twig whisk, tin cup, knife and fork, and knife and fork pouch for my grandson. He loves me even more now. LOL
I LOVE this video (of course, I love all your videos), but this one hit home. My family loves history and on one trip we stopped at Blue Lick Spring in Kentucky and toured the museum. This spring was a salt spring, and the animals would come to lick the salt along the shore. We were told that a remnant of a salt boiling pot on display had belonged to George Washington and that he had come to avail himself of the salt making process. An earthquake in the 1800s pulled the spring underground and so is lost to us today, but the site is quite an interesting part of our American history. My husband's English ancestors were involved in salt production (mid to late 1500s-early 1600s) in England at Droitwich that had salt brine springs that were fed into 3 pits. The brine was 10x saltier than the ocean and only the Dead Sea was as salty. According to online sources, "for every 6,912 gallons of brine, 8 tons of salt could be produced." Salt rich, indeed. Thank you for sharing how important salt was then and still is today.
A very interesting book regarding this rarely considered condiment....Salt: A World History.
Yes! One of the best history books I've read so far.
Check out his other 2 books, Cod and The Basque history of the world
@@violetopal6264 ive seen at least 5 now lol
I remember a story about a Japanese internal conflict where the guy about to win let the salt train through because forbidding salt would be dishonorable
I was hoping to see more about how they made it but the video was good. Stories that aren't told in our gradeschools.
Great video, Murray Rothbard has done some great work on these topics. Your ending reminded me of his writings.
Yeah this is classic free market history. John's video on currency in the 18th century is also great econ.
A bit funny for you to say "we'd have to shop every single day" as if it were almost unthinkable. Living in a city without a car, that's pretty much what I do! Never need to bring more than one or two bags, just get enough for the next day or two! And that's how many people in colonial America who lived in towns or cities lived!
I learn so much from your videos! Thank you Jon and team for another great production.
We absolutely love these educational videos. Somehow you manage to make them fascinating and relaxing, it's pure magic.
My grandparents were from Italy so baccala (salt cod) was an extremely important dish. My mother would generally prefer the taste of baccala to fresh cod.
It was a Christmas Eve staple when I was growing up. I have 5 pounds in the house right now. I don't wait for Christmas Eve anymore. LOL
@@morrismonet3554 My mom would hang the dried baccala from the garage rafters and would soak it for a few days before Christmas Eve.
@@amcalabrese1 👍I soak for a couple of days changing the water often. 3 days if I only do it twice a day. It has a much better taste and texture than fresh.
Yes to the salt! I couldn’t ferment my cabbage and other veggies without a good quality salt!
This was super encouraging. Thanks, John. 💕
What an encouraging message at the end! Thank you for lifting our spirits :)
My moms from Long Island Bahamas. There is a town called Saltpond and it still has the old evaporation ponds for salt collection.
Funnily enough the Bahamas is still a big salt producer. Morton has a huge facility on the island of Inagua. They produce a lot of the street salt used during winter in the USA.
Ha. Assassin creed
A lot comes from where I grew up too, in southwestern Ontario. Lots of salt trucks going across the border in the winter from the mines in Windsor.
Great video. Very interesting the lessons from the past still ring true today. Keep them coming.
My great grandparents were salt traders. They would load up a wagon train with hardware, animals etc in Texas and take that to Salt Lake City trade for salt and bring that back to sell along the way and back home. She told me they could make 2 trips a year.
Thanks John! Its always a pleasure to hear from you!
This was fascinating. I've always known salt was used for preservation, but I've never known exactly how it worked. And I had zero knowledge of the history of it all.
It works, because salt pulls moisture out of food. The dryer something is, the less bacteria can survive and multiply in it. It's bacteria that for the most part causes something to spoil. Mind you, the colonists nor did people for milleniums before them understand this (they didn't have any idea why food spoils until AFTER Louis Pasteur's experiments in the 1800's).
my boss has a friend who went on a diet to lose weight fast, because he was mainly eating fruits and vegetables and not much salt was going into his diet, he put himself in the hospital because his sodium levels got dangerously low and they told him to start eating normal again.
Sounds like that person didn't know basic facts about nutrition and perhaps even had an eating disorder. A basic community college course in nutrition would benefit him greatly.
The spirit of community, people working together will always prevail over tyranny, God bless guys I'm glad you make these.
Best historian on RUclips. Fantastic video. Your content is always so educational, entertaining, and inspirational.
Good afternoon from Syracuse NY brother and everyone else thank you for sharing your live history videos
Enjoy some Syracuse salt potatoes!
Hi my friend that is a brilliant idea
@@earlshaner4441 I went to law school at SU and my son is at Newhouse now. Syracuse is not called the Salt City for nothing!
Thank you my friend
For those of you interested in the history of salt I recommend the book, Salt, by Mark Kurlansky. It is a fantastic read that I took a chance on and it was captivating.
You're the third person I've seen commenting about that book.
Cod and The Basque history of the world as well
Great way to give inspiration, I maybe needed that right now, thank you
Townsends is hands down the best historical channel I have watched. Thank you for keeping history alive!
I know that twitter would be a better place without salt.
Twitter should shrivel up and die!
My journey in preparedness has always led me to more knowledge of a pioneer lifestyle, rather than a beans and bullets kinda prepper.
I am fortunate to haul a lot of the pink salt from Saskatchewan.
As a trucker I listen to a lot of history. I know the Roman's used to subsidize their soldiers wages with salt. I know how important it is ;)
fantastic insight and a great message at the end!
Kinda funny/interesting thing that I’ve learned from all the cargo ship debacles recently is that early America failure to make salt maybe wasn’t that catastrophic. The ships gotta go back and forth anyways so it’s usually helpful to have goods to transport both directions. Instead of sending an empty ship one of the ways
How much salt would one use in the 1700's for the year?
You really need to do a piece with Mark Kurlansky, author of _Salt_
And Cod and The Basque history of the world
What a wonderful message for the times we are in!
So appreciate listening to your talks on history! Great job!
As a big fan of salt, I am here for this.
Awesome video - both the history of the salt crisis, and your interpretation of how this is reflected in the challenges we continue to face in the current century. Thank you!
Excellent video, and clear reminder of what we need to focus on and learn from.
Part of my mixed Slavic ancestry includes Ukrainan. Long ago, a traditional gift, for someone, was giving them bread and salt. At one point in human history, salt was like a form of currency. It's still very valuable, and we would have problems if it didn't exist. Thanks for sharing this. Cheers!
It's also a traditional Gift in Germany when someone Moves
@@rettichdergeile9361 In many Filipino households, you have to move in some raw rice and salt before anything else can go into a new house - or else, the people may encounter great misfortune (usually a lack of food and/or money).
Surely you mean Russian ancestry? Given that Ukraine only existed as a separate state from 1991-2014
@@TheBelrick Ukraine was a separate country within the USSR, not within russia. Russia was also a specific country within the USSR. It just got more notice as USSR leadership was russian.
We have a similar custom here in Slovenia. A old way of formally greeting guests is to offer them bread, salt and honey at the door.
Avery island in Louisiana(where they make Tobasco) is the largest Salt Mine in North America