The dark history of Graham crackers

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Stephanie Honchell Smith |

TED-Ed

• June 2025

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. [Directed by Anton Bogaty, narrated by Susan Zimmerman, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio].