Mill Talk: The Invention of Rum: A View from Massachusetts

Jordan B. Smith presents a new story of how rum was invented, made, sold, and consumed in the Atlantic world, and how that expansive story structured life and labor in colonial Massachusetts. He'll introduce you to a commodity that transformed cultures of making and drinking in large part due to its ubiquity and affordability. Moreover, he argues, rum’s emergence as the quintessential Atlantic commodity tied together myriad innovations to inspire a broader reimagining of what commodities were and how they were made. This talk builds on Jordan’s 2025 book, The Invention of Rum: Creating the Quintessential Atlantic Commodity.

Speaker Bio:

Jordan B. Smith teaches early American and Atlantic history at Widener University, where he is an associate professor of history and the pre-law advisor. He is the author of The Invention of Rum: Creating the Quintessential Atlantic Commodity (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2025). Jordan received his BA in History from Carleton College and his MA and PhD from Georgetown University. His essays have appeared in Early American Studies, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, and Commonplace. Jordan and his family live in South Philadelphia.