Revolutions in the Grass: Energy and Food Systems in Continental North America, 1763-1848

摘要

This article draws connections between the political revolutions of the Atlantic World and the equally powerful environmental revolutions occurring in North America between 1763 and 1848. The political-economic transformations that shook coastal cities also reverberated in the reorganization of food production and indirectly grass consumption, revealing deep interconnections between imperial objectives, continental land use practices, and the emergence of a global food system. Understanding the critical role of non-human actors, including grass and herbivores, reveals deeper relationships shared between early modern political, cultural, and environmental history.