Summary: [FULL EPISODE] The cliche may be that apple pie is the most quintessentially American of foods but, in truth, hard apple cider might stake a more rightful claim to that title. Alcohol and our taste for it has shaped this country from its inception, when the founding fathers themselves played a role in encouraging our national hankering for the hard stuff: Jefferson loved his hard cider and wine, Washington had a thing for rum, and Benjamin Franklin loved it all so much he compiled a list of 228 synonyms for "drunk" into what is known as "The Drinker's Dictionary." In this hour of BackStory, we're all about the boozin'. Along the way, we ask when and why consumption and production has ebbed and flowed. We look at why rum became the drink of choice among revolutionary troops, explore why American Indians were rejecting alcohol two centuries before the rest of the country, and follow the long march toward Prohibition. Originally produced a few years ago, this episode has been revised to include new segments and reflect fresh insight into the subject. Visit our site for more in-depth resources about today's topic, including a full show transcript and background on the people we interviewed: backstoryradio.org/cheers-and-jeers-alcohol-in-america/ Listen to individual episode segments here: soundcloud.com/backstory/sets/cheers-and-jeers-alcohol-in
