THE PROHIBITIONIST MOVEMENT

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THE PROHIBITIONIST MOVEMENT

• RELS385
• March 4, 2008
• Mark Crossan

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PROHIBITION INTEMPERANCE

• Antebellum movement
• Protestants felt key to better life lay in moral
  reform
• In order to change society, must change
  individual first
• Religious reaction due to excessive drinking
  19th cent.
• Would fight alcohol with same vigor as slavery

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Cast of Characters

• Lyman Beecher
• 1775-1863
• Presbyterian Clergyman
• Early aversion to alcohol (Noll, 296)
• Six Sermons on the Nature,
• Occasion, Signs, Evils, and Remedy
• Of Intemperance (1826)
• Alcohol harmed the health and physical
• energies of a nation, and the national
• conscience or moral principal (Noll, 296)
• Lead to Laws in Massachusetts and Maine (1840s
  -1850s)

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Prohibition Party

• After Civil War, temperance reform
• became national cause (Noll, 296)
• Temperance advocates proposed political
• party.
• Chicago, 1869, Prohibition Party established.
• First political convention where women
• and men participated equally.
• 1872 ran first candidate for president
• 1892 Height of reform, John Bidwell receives 2
  of votes

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Prohibition Party2008 Nominees

• Gene Armondson, Arkansas
• In 2004 1,944 votes

• Earl Dodge, Connecticut
• In 2004 140 votes

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Cast of Characters

• Frances Willard
• 1839-1898
• Methodist Episcopal Church
• Methodists lead drive against alcohol
• Persistent advocate for womens right
• to preach
• Urged Prohibition Party to include
• general protection for family
• Womens Christian Temperance Union
• (WCTU)

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Cast of Characters

• Homer Simpson
• Beer Baron
• Al Capone
• Without alcohol prohibition cant work

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Cast of Characters

• Rex Banner
• Prohibition enthusiast
• Eliot Ness

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Womens Christian Temperance Union

• Lead by Frances Willard
• Concerned with alcohol and the problems it caused
  within families
• Prohibition Home Protection Party
• Helped establish British counterpart to WCTU
• Mobilizing women for the causes of domestic
  purification and personal order that the
  temperance crusade represented. (Noll, 297)

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The American Anti-Saloon League

• Evangelical Protestants
• Organized in 1895 by Howard Hyde Russell
• Would preach against the evils of liquor
• Would try to prevent Saloons from opening, try
  to close existing saloons.
• Would also pressure police at enforcing Saloon
  Rules

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The 18th Amendment

• Social disorder leads to 18th Amendment
• People more afraid due to World War I
• Began to link crimes with drinking
• Prohibits the manufacture, sale, or
• transportation of intoxicating liquors (Noll,
  299)
• Senate approves Dec. 18th, 1917
• Approved by 36 states, Jan. 16th, 1919
• Goes into effect January 16th, 1920
• Rejected by Connecticut and Rhode Island
• Believed to be dawning of new era (Noll, 299)

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Conclusion

• Succeeded in unifying conservatives and liberals
• Brought mild improvements to nations welfare and
  health care
• Prohibition became largely unpopular once 18th
  amendment was passed
• Violence, crime and poverty still existed despite
  being dry
• Speakeasys existed during draught, due to
  bootlegging
• 21st amendment fully ratified on Dec. 5th 1933,
  fully repealing 18th amendment

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Discussion

• If we can conclude that the 21st amendment is
  proof that the prohibition of alcohol was a
  failure, what does this say for the current
  prohibition on drugs?
• In 2005 45.1 billion was spent on
  incarcerating drug law offenders
• If making drugs illegal isnt working, could
  legalization help?

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Works Cited

• Noll, Mark. A, A History of Christianity in the
  United States and Canada Eerdmans Publishing
  Co. 1992
• Lyman Beecher - http//www.sonofthesouth.net/leefo
  undation/civil-war/1863/january/lyman-beecher.jpg
• Frances Willard - http//z.about.com/d/womenshisto
  ry/1/0/0/A/frances_willard_2.jpg
• 18th 21st Amendment -http//en.wikipedia.org/wik
  i/Eighteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Consti
  tution