The Reverend Silvester Graham
The Reverend Sylvester Graham 1) Lived between July 5, 1794 – September 11, 1851 2) was an American and an early advocate of dietary reform in the United States 3) Sylvester Graham was ordained in 1826 as a Presbyterian minister. 4) What criticism of American society did the individual have? a) was most notable for his emphasis on vegetarianism and the temperance movement, anti-masturbation, as well as dietary habits. 5) What methods did the person use to improve American life? b) In 1829, he invented graham bread, and the recipe first appeared in The New Hydropathic Cookbook c) was made from unsifted flour and free from chemical additives such as alum and chlorine d) Graham argued that chemical additives in bread made it unwholesome, but during the Industrial Revolution , the use of additives by bakeries was a common practice during to make bread whiter in color, and more commercially appealing. e) Darker wheat bread was considered the food of the poor. Refined bread was a status symbol of the middle class because of its "purity and refinement" in its color and was purchased, rather than home-made. Graham believed that a firm bread made of coarsely ground whole-wheat flour was more nutritious and healthy. f) was also inspired by the temperance movement and preached that a vegetarian diet was a cure for alcoholism g) thought that alcohol had useful medicinal qualities, it should never be abused by social drinking h) The main thrust of his teachings was to curb lust i) an unhealthy diet stimulated excessive sexual desire which irritated the body and caused disease 6) What success did the individual have in promoting reform? j) A group of people known as Grahamites began to practiced his teachings such as abstinence from alcohol, frequent bathing, daily brushing of teeth, vegetarianism, and a generally sparse lifestyle. 1) This went especially for masturbation, which