I'm Mary Catherine, I'm celebrating America 250 by reading primary documents written for or by the founders for as many of the days of the year as I can.

Thanks for joining me for this mini episode of Getting Hammered.

Today, a salt-peater crisis. Let's talk about it.

Today, in 1776, John Adams offers resolutions in the Continental Congress asking citizens to help make gunpowder.

How and why? The why is pretty simple. When the war broke out in 1775, the colonies were home to only one significant powder mill for making gunpowder, and almost all gunpowder came from overseas, which, thanks to the Brits blockade, made it very hard to get, though some French gunpowder did make it through and some from the West Indies as well.

The colonies later added some powder mills, but it wasn't enough to keep up with demand.

Now for the how.

Salt Peter, or potassium nitrate, is a main component of gunpowder along with charcoal and sulfur.

Adams wanted to turn making saltpetre into a civic duty

so domestic production of gunpowder could go up. In fact, the Continental Congress sent out a

pamphlet at one time recommending, quote, that vegetable and animal refuse containing nitrogen be

collected, the sweepings of slaughterhouses, weeds, etc., collected in heaps in a shed or house where they

were protected from the rain and mixed with limestone, old mortar, and ashes. The heaps moistened

from time to time with runnings from stables and other urine. When decomposition was complete,

the heaps leached with water, liquor evaporated, and the saltpeter recrystallized. There you

have it. Uh, just make it with P and stuff.

Here are Adams resolutions on the subject on February 23, 1776.

Resolved that it be recommended to the several assemblies, conventions,

councils, or committees of safety, and committees of correspondence,

and inspection in the United Colonies,

to exert themselves in devising farther ways and means of promoting and inspection in the United Colonies to exert themselves in devising

farther ways and means of promoting and encouraging the manufacturer of Salt Peter and of introducing

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