The Story of Tobacco in America is a book written by Joseph C. Robert, and published in 1949. The author provides great information for the reader by dividing the book into nine detailed chapters, from -The Discovery of “That Bewitching Vegetable”in 1492, to “The End of the Tobacco Road”, in 1948. Robert’s book shows the impact that tobacco had in establishing the early lives of American settlers and for the country as a whole. The tobacco plant has shaped the various events throughout American history, while still doing so to this very day.
Roberts goal was to provide history to the reader on how tobacco has influenced man and it’s effects on political, economical, and social life of America. He does a great job of doing so by backing up his findings with concrete evidence. For example, tobacco was first used by Native Americans, long before Europeans came over and gained an interest in the tobacco plant in 1492. The only way we know this to be certain, is due to Christopher Columbus’s journals. Throughout his book, Robert provides great little stories of people
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The preparation of chewing tobacco consisted of four crucial steps. First there was Steaming, which the tightly pressed leaves are broken at two or three places, then steamers rip away the every tough and unfavorable mid-vein. The leaves were then dried again. Secondly, Flavoring consisted of the leaves being either dipped or soaked in a compound of licorice and sugar. The flavoring was very diverse, depending the customers wants. The third step was Lumpmaking, that was simply the preparation for packaging. The leaves were arranged in a rectangular fashion and were cut in specific sizes according to which brand it was by the Lumpmakers. The fourth and final step was Prizing, not to be confused with pricing. It was the process of compressing the leaves into finished plugs that prepared them for