Okrent pushes the idea that Prohibition was an “Anglo-Saxon-Protestant issue” (192) and they were proven to continuously push for the cause. Politics and alcohol held close ties during the push for Prohibition (47), and Protestant “aristocrats” such as Roosevelt disliked this relationship, viewing it as corrupt. (48) Protestant women, like the Daughters of Temperance (15), were a force to be reckoned with. The biggest issue Protestant’s had though, according to Okrent, was the immigrant population and their usage of the saloons. (48) Okrent highlights that one of the forces in favour of Prohibition was the mindset held by many Americans.
As stated earlier, the second period of temperance began post-Civil War. During this time period, national organizations such as Woman’s Christian Temperance Union teamed with a new political party known as the National Prohibition party to take prohibition to the national political scene. In the past, many prohibition supporters, the ‘drys’ as they were called, believed the lack of political support undermined their efforts to nationalize the issues associated with alcohol use.
On January 16th of 1919, the American congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment, making all importing, exporting, transporting, selling, and manufacturing of alcohol illegal. It was not until 1920 that the Amendment was enforced. During the era of progressive reform, 1900-1919 it took much convincing to get congress to pass the Amendment. You have a majority of the population against prohibition because saloons were a social hangout for them where they hosted parties, weddings, etc. Then you have the rest of the population for prohibition because of economic, religious, and health reasons.
The months before going into the 1920's and the prohibition movement was marked with people abusing their right to have a drink here and there. When the Americans passed the eighteenth amendment in 1919 it made a change in the way the people acted because some would not even drink at all. The eighteenth amendment was passed to ban the production, sale, and use of alcohol. As the eighteenth was published, the problem of trying to enact this law was getting the Americans to obey the law was a great responsibility as drunks illegally continued to drink alcohol. Throughout this time period, numerous people came forward on both sides of the war against and for prohibition.
People who were against this new amendment began to operate illegally through loopholes to get their alcohol. They founded speakeasies, secretive clubs that permitted drinking, giving the rich a way to drink without the government’s watch. A temperance movement was founded pushing for the new the extremely unpopular new law as well. The temperance movement had originated in the early 19th century and was called for again with prohibition. People absolutely hated this new amendment and some absolutely loved it.
The amendment went into effect on January 17, 1920, and Prohibitionists rejoiced that at long last, America had become officially, and irrevocably, dry. The temperance movement dedicated to promoting moderation and, more often, complete abstinence in the use of intoxicating liquor. Temperance organizations seem to have been those founded at Saratoga, New York, in 1808 and in Massachusetts in 1813. The first international temperance organization appears to have been the “Order of Good Templars formed in 1851 at Utica, New York”,which gradually spread over the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Scandinavia. One very important organization was the “Women's Christian Temperance Union.”
The temperance movement gained momentum during that period quickly, which in turn, put increasing pressure on the alcohol industry. Breweries, distilleries, and saloons faced economic challenges as temperance advocates campaigned for stricter regulations or a total prohibition of alcohol consumption. Due to this, the threat of prohibition loomed over these businesses, leading to uncertainty and financial instability. As prohibition laws started to solidify, many businesses were forced to shut down or scale back operations. Many shops that were once thriving financially now faced declining sales and revenue, and some owners and workers experienced job losses as establishments closed down due to the regulations.
America during the 1920s can be considered a cultural battleground as Americans were deeply divided over a number of different issues, including race, immigration, alcohol consumption, and interpretation of the bible. However, the differences between rural and urban lifestyles, specifically over alcohol consumption, is arguably the most divisive of these issues. In general, those that lived in rural area,especially in the South, tended to be more conservative and follow traditional beliefs. They believed in fundamentalism, which was the literal interpretation of the bible, and discouraged the teaching of evolution in schools. Those in rural areas also tended to support prohibition, which was a ban on the manufacturing and sale of alcohol, because they believed that alcohol consumption led to sinful
There was a group called the “noble experiment”. They believed in the ban on alcohol because they thought it would solve things like alcoholism, crime, poverty, unemployment, and domestic violence. The idea of prohibition came about in the 1800s during the progressive era. The 18th amendment stated “the production, transport and sale of intoxicating
What if you were told you were not allowed to drink something because it is illegal, would you listen? Would you be a law-abiding citizen or would you become a criminal because you drink alcohol? Prohibition occurred during the 1930s and it changed society very rapidly. The temperance movement, later known as Prohibition, was a clash between the early twentieth-century activists and the common people, and the effect prohibition had on everyone. As America got older, they started to change opinions of their favorite drink.
The Women’s Christian Temperance Union, founded in 1873, was one of the leading advocates of prohibition (Khan Academy).During the Progressive Era, calls for prohibition became more apparent. In many ways, temperance activists were looking to eradicate the negative social effects of rapid industrialization. Saloons and the heavy drinking culture they fostered were associated with immigrants and members of the working class, and were seen as detrimental to the values of a Christian society. The Anti-Saloon League, with strong support from Protestants and other Christian denominations, spearheaded the drive for nationwide prohibition. In fact, the Anti-Saloon League was the most powerful political pressure group in US history—no other organization had ever managed to alter the nation’s Constitution.
“ Saloons were built in every city and. village and provided a setting for illegal activities” (Benson, Brannen, and Valentine). There were many bad things happening around saloons, such as major and minor crimes occurring due to the activity of saloons. “They encouraged people to cut down on the amount of drinking, but eventually they called for total abstinence.” (Benson, Brannen, and Valentine).
The prohibition era, between 1920 and 1933, was an attempt to legislate morality. The social experiment aimed to eliminate the consumption of alcohol by prohibiting its manufacture, sale and transportation, which in turn spawned a black market of violence and crime. In what was intended to improve the country's health, lower crime rates, raise social standards and lower taxes, prohibition proved to be one of the America's greatest economic, social and political tragedies. Before prohibition, alcohol existed as a part of American social culture. Alcohol was a practical choice, drunken on a daily basis with “most people believing that whiskey was as essential as bread”.
Prohibition activists arose to ban Alcohol to reduce corruption, crime, solve social problems, improve health and hygiene in America and to reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses. The arose of activists against alcohol started back in 1773 when “John Wesley,” (4) the founder of Methodism preached that drinking was sinful. In early years the consumption of alcohol in the U.S was 7 gallons per capita per year. American Temperance Society, Massachusetts Society and Connecticut Society for the Reformation of Morals was groups against consumption. In 1826 Boston area ministers founded the American Temperance Society, and in 1831 it had 170,000 members.
Also, religiously, the consumption of alcohol went against God’s will. A known fact was that Christianity helped introduce Prohibition in the USA. They even¬ set up an ‘Anti-Saloon League’ arguing that drinking alcohol was damaging American society and should ban
