Prohibition

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Prohibition
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19th Century Background for Prohibition

• Second Great Awakening sought to remake society
  in God's image.
• This sentiment extended to civic life with the
  formation of thousands of Temperance societies.
• Successful in reducing consumption and
  encouraging stricter state regulation of alcohol.
  

Lyman Beecher was a famous social activist of the
day who was particularly concerned about the
negative impact of alcohol on society.
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Temperance Cartoons
In the 1850 engraving, "The Drunkard's Home," a
cowering family in a squalid home is subjected to
the whims of a brutal patriarch.By contrast, the
1850 engraving, "The Temperance Home," depicts a
scene of domestic harmony, order, affection, and
material comfort.
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Temperance Cartoons
The pair of 1855 illustrations, "Tree of
Temperance" and "Tree of Intemperance," are rich
with symbolic and literal depictions of the
consequences of each lifestyle.
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The Womens Christian Temperance Union

• The WCTU fought for prohibition and progressive
  reform.
• Frances Willard was the national president of the
  union from 1879 to 1898.
• Focused on suffrage, the 8-hour work day, prison
  reform, and the Social Gospel.

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The Anti-Saloon League

• The Anti-Saloon League focused only on the legal
  prohibition of alcoholic beverages.
• Developed modern lobbying techniques.
• Printed anti-drinking brochures, appealed to
  church members for support, and lobbied both
  lawmakers and businessmen.

Members of the Anti-Saloon League meet in Chicago.
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Carrie Nation The Saloon Smasher

• Member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union.
• Known for bursting into barrooms, wielding a
  hatchet or hammer, and smashing the saloon.
• Between 1900 and 1910, Nation was arrested some
  thirty times for her aggressive tactics.

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The Volstead Act

• The 18th Amendment was ratified in 1919 and took
  effect in 1920.
• The Volstead Act clarified the new rules
  surrounding prohibition.
• President Wilson vetoed the Volstead Act on
  constitutional grounds.
• His veto was overridden by Congress.

Special stamps were required for medicinal
liquors under the Volstead Act.
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"A Noble Experiment"

• The sale, transport, and consumption of
  intoxicating beverages became illegal.
• Many law-abiding Americans defied the
  regulations.
• The black market for alcohol was a boon for
  organized crime.

Detroit police discover a clandestine still
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Per capita consumption of alcohol (1910-1929)
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The 21st Amendment

• Prohibition was unenforceable.
• Many deaths occurred from bootleg liquor.
• Political corruption increased.
• Smuggling grew out of control.
• During the Depression the potential jobs and tax
  revenue from the legalization of liquor
  increasingly attractive to struggling Americans.

• Thus, in 1933, the noble experiment of
  Prohibition came to a close with the ratification
  of the 21st Amendment