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TED-Ed

The dark history of Graham crackers - Stephanie Honchell Smith

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TEDEd Animation

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In the 1800s, minister Sylvester Graham believed Americans had a big problem— not just with their bodies, but their souls. He argued that overindulgence was fueling their baser desires, making them immoral and oversexed. To curb this corruption, puritanical reformers advocated for foods they thought curbed a variety of appetites. Stephanie Honchell Smith details the invention of Graham crackers.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Stephanie Honchell Smith
  • Director Anton Bogaty
  • Narrator Susan Zimmerman
  • Composer Johann Sebastian Bach, Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio
  • Sound Designer Amanda P.H. Bennett, cAMP Studio
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Produced by Abdallah Ewis
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Cella Wright
  • Fact-Checker Charles Wallace

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