Changes

Americans have a complicated relationship with alcohol. Even before they established Plymouth, William Bradford lamented that the puritanical Pilgrims were ready to go to the mainland as their “victuals [were] much spent, especially our Beere (sic).” Both Virginia and Plymouth had vibrant alcohol industries, and during . During the colonial period , many backcountry farmers found distilling spirits or fermenting cider to be effective ways of preserving their agricultural production. The heavy reliance on molasses, rum, and sugar in the colonies also created an interwoven trade network crisscrossing the Atlantic Ocean, providing a source of income and building dependencies across the European colonial holdings.

Through the revolution, major political and social leaders drank alcohol and extolled its virtues as part of the natural social process. This However, this began to change with the advent of industrial production, however, and the rise in religiosity fueled by the Second Great Awakening. Throughout most of the 19th century, Temperance, (the desire to moderate and restrain from all sorts of excesses, but mostly alcohol) was one of the most important social issues of the day. With the Second Great Awakening and the social movements of the 1820s and 1830s, alcohol became a scapegoat for a wide range of social problems that included joblessness, domestic abuse, immorality, and declining adherence to religious beliefs.

====The Long Crusade Against Booze==Why did Americans want to prohibit alcohol? ==The Second Great Awakening also advocated the belief that humans could be individually reformed with effort and proper instruction in order to bring about a perfect society on earth. This foundational belief in the perfectability of human society 's perfectability sparked wide-ranging reform movements, including attempts to reform prisons and education systems, expand suffrage rights, and abolish slavery. As part of these wider efforts, Temperance first encouraged moderation in the consumption of alcohol. From this start, a wider acceptance of controlling the amount people drink and the increasingly common view of inebriation as sinful began to change the American relationship with alcohol.

====Temperance Fountains and What was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)==? ==

Perhaps the clearest examples of how views regarding alcohol shifted after the Civil War were physically present on the landscape and visible in American politics. The introduction of water drinking fountains in urban areas and the influence of organizations like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union represent the rise of ideas that would continue into the 20th century as part of the Progressive Movement. For much of human history, access to clean drinking water presented a significant engineering challenge. The Romans brought water to the heart of major urban areas through aqueducts, and the same public health problems that inspired these engineering marvels continued to plague cities. As a result, drinking the water in many cities was unsafe throughout the 19th century.  Particularly before the advent of germ theory and the bacteriology advances ushered in by scientists like Louis Pasteur, the average resident of a city was likely to continue drinking the contaminated water out of necessity. Many people drank alcoholic beverages as an alternative to drinking unhealthy water, but this also created a continually “buzzed” populace that included children and pregnant mothers, and temperance fountains attempted to solve alcoholism by providing safe alternatives. Thousands of these fountains appeared in major cities throughout the United States and Europe, including one near the US Capitol that continues to be a source of controversy. These fountains occasionally sparked ridicule and criticism, but ultimately they are the forebears of the modern drinking fountains found in most public buildings.

Particularly before the advent of germ theory and the bacteriology advances ushered in by the work of scientists like Louis Pasteur, the average resident of a city The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was likely to continue drinking the contaminated water out of necessityan organization that clearly linked sobriety with morality. Many The temperance fountains reasoned that people drank alcoholic beverages as an alternative to drinking unhealthy alcohol out of necessity or convenience and would gladly drink water, but this also created if offered a continually “buzzed” populace that included children and pregnant mothers, and temperance fountains attempted to solve safe alternative. The WCTU approached the problem as one of alcoholism by providing safe alternativesmorality and civil rights. Thousands of these fountains appeared in major cities throughout As indicated by the United States and Europeorganization's name, including one near the US Capitol that continues to be union also identified with Christianity and encouraged a source wide range of controversybehaviors other than abstinence from alcohol. These fountains occasionally sparked ridicule The WCTU scope extended to tobacco and criticismother drugs (in the 1800s, but ultimately they are the forebears of the modern drinking fountains found in most public buildingsdrugs like opium were widely available) to reform husbands' and fathers' behaviors beyond mere drunkenness.

The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was an organization that clearly linked sobriety with morality. Where the temperance fountains reasoned that people drank alcohol out of necessity or convenience and would gladly drink water if it offered a safe alternativeIn this way, the WCTU approached the problem can be seen as one part of morality and civil rights. As indicated by a larger effort to have women recognized as equal political actors in a country where they were not granted the name right to vote or control many aspects of the organizationtheir lives, including controlling their own property or the union also identified with Christianity and encouraged a wide range legal fates of behaviors other than abstinence from alcoholtheir children. The scope of Concurrent with the WCTU extended , many women also joined women’s suffrage organizations, which often clearly identified the same arguments about bringing morality to tobacco and other drugs (in the 1800ssociety, drugs like opium were widely available) in an effort to reform particularly the behaviors rough and tumbled world of husbands and fathers beyond mere drunkennesspolitics.

In this way== How did the Progressive Era lead to Prohibition? ==[[File: Prohibition_agents_destroying_barrels_of_alcohol_(United_States,_prohibition_era)_(1).jpg|thumbnail|left| Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol]]The Progressive Era, which overlapped with the growth of the WCTU can be seen as part and the construction of temperance fountains, was a larger effort to have women recognized as equal political actors period of upheaval in the United States that in some ways mirrors the reform movements of the 1830s. Once again, there was a country where they were not granted great surge in the right to vote or control many aspects belief in the perfectibility of their liveshuman society. However, including controlling their own property or one difference was the legal fates of their childrenequally firm belief in the government's role in implementing this perfect society. Concurrent with While the WCTUand the temperance fountains relied on appeals to individuals' morality, many women also joined women’s suffrage organizations, which often clearly identified with the same arguments Progressive Era attempted to bring about bringing morality to society, particularly societal change through the rough and tumble world enforcement powers of politicsgovernment.

====Natural landscapes, political processes, economic and industrial power, and individual morality all came under scrutiny for regulation by newly powerful state organizations interested in creating an orderly society ruled by certified experts. The Progressive Era also encouraged government participation and benefitted the Prohibition====The Progressive Era, which overlapped Movement with the growth passage of the WCTU and the construction of temperance fountainstwo other constitutional amendments, was a period of upheaval in the United States that in some ways mirrors the reform movements of the 1830s. Once again16th, there was a great surge in the belief in the perfectibility of human societyand 19th amendments. One difference, however, was the equally firm belief in the role of The 16th amendment allowed the federal government in implementing this perfect societyto levy personal income taxes, which provided a new revenue stream that could replace excise taxes placed on alcohol. While The 19th amendment granted the WCTU and the temperance fountains relied on appeals right to vote to the morality of individualswomen, the Progressive Era attempted who were proportionally more likely to bring about societal change through the enforcement powers of governmentsupport prohibition.

In addition to these national political trends, there were societal changes that also spurred the United States towards a national prohibition of alcohol. As the nation continued to industrialize, some of the same concerns about discouraging drinking resurfaced, but the nation was also divided over prohibition along ethnic lines. Roman Catholics, who were largely part of the “new immigrant” waves that dominated the latter 19th and early 20th century, rejected any proposed ban on alcohol. Many major Protestant churches, including Methodists and Baptists, favored prohibition as a moral issue.

Breaking down into “wet” (favoring the continued legalization of alcohol) and “dry” (favoring prohibiting alcohol) camps, the issue became a major political force that exposed many of America’s fractures along ethnic, religious, and geographic lines. Some states, particularly in the South and West, outlawed alcohol on their own before a federal ban was in place. To this day, many local municipalities ban alcohol, and many more have a partial ban that prevents the sale of alcohol on particular days or at particular times. All of these These laws are legacies of the nationwide move toward the total prohibition of alcohol, and the geographic distribution of these laws still reflects the strongholds of the Prohibition movement of the early 20th century.

==What problems did Prohibition create?==Prohibitions Problems====[[File:Al_Capone_in_1930.jpg|left|300px|thumbnail|Al Capone awaiting trial]] In the early days of prohibition, enforcement was straightforward. Many From this period, many of the iconic images from this period show federal officials breaking bottles of alcohol or dumping barrels of beer into open drains. Despite these dramatic scenes, large swathes of the nation were not ready to give up the intoxicating liquid. Wherever there is demand for a product, market forces will provide a supply. When the demand is for an illegal substance, that supply will also be illegal. As a result, Prohibition coincided with a spectacular rise in organized crime in the United States. Speakeasies, or illegally hidden saloons, sprang up in major cities across America. To provide the alcohol these establishments served, a whole network of illegal businesses dedicated to the production and delivery of alcohol appeared.

Major crime organizations that would later be romanticized by Hollywood rose to prominence through the lucrative business of supplying thirsty Americans As a result, Prohibition coincided with the alcohol they demanded. The gang wars that resulted were brutal a spectacular rise in their efficiency and organized crime in their death tollthe United States. Rival gangs fought over territorySpeakeasies, and the money they made often flowed into local politicsor illegally hidden saloons, sprang up in major cities across America. Federal enforcement of Prohibition seemed to consistently stay a step behind the gangs who provided To provide the illegal alcohol and the 1920s saw increasing division between the fast-moving urban life and the more traditional and conservative rural society. Depending on your perspective, Prohibition was either a failure or at best these establishments served, a muted success. By all accounts, it contributed to the rise whole network of other societal ills, regardless of the benefits achieved through less public drunkenness. As people who wanted illegal businesses dedicated to drink found ways around the law, production and the immediate statistical benefits delivery of Prohibition became less clear by the end of the 1920s, the popularity of the ban dwindledalcohol appeared.

====“I think this Major crime organizations that would later be a good time for a beer”====While romanticized by Hollywood rose to prominence through the “roaring 20s” raged in lucrative business of supplying thirsty Americans with the cities with alcohol flowing to speakeasies they demanded. The gang wars that resulted were brutal in their efficiency and blood flowing in the streetstheir death toll. Rival gangs fought over territory, deeper economic problems in the country's farmland and financial markets indicated there were even bigger storm clouds on the horizonmoney they made often flowed into local politics. With the Wall Street crash Federal enforcement of 1929 and the Great Depression, Prohibition seemed to consistently stay a step behind the demand for gangs who provided illegal alcohol and its ancillary entertainment venues declined. Simultaneous with the decline in government revenue as a result of 1920s saw an increasing division between the Great Depression, a Democratic coalition emerged fast-moving urban life and supported Franklin Roosevelt in his bid for the presidency. Roosevelt made job creation his priority more traditional and included the repeal of Prohibition on his platform. Political concerns also extended beyond simply appealing to potential votersconservative rural society.

If Depending on your perspective, Prohibition was either a failure or, at best, a muted success. All accounts contributed to the passage rise of a federal income tax granted the nation’s legislators the flexibility to eliminate excise taxes on alcoholother societal ills, regardless of the declining revenues from taxing those incomes encouraged them to reconsiderbenefits achieved through less public drunkenness. Almost immediately after Roosevelt’s inauguration, Congress proposed an amendment As people who wanted to drink found ways around the Constitution that would repeal Prohibitionlaw, and in the immediate statistical benefits of Prohibition became less than a year enough states approved clear by the resolution to end nationwide Prohibition in December of 1933. As beforethe 1920s, states and local governments were able to enforce their own prohibitions, but the issue popularity of a nationwide the ban on alcohol has never been seriously considered againdwindled.

==“I think this would be a good time for a beer” ==Further ReadingWhile the “roaring 20s” raged in the cities with alcohol flowing to speakeasies and blood flowing in the streets, deeper economic problems in the country's farmland and financial markets indicated there were even bigger storm clouds on the horizon. With the Wall Street crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, the demand for alcohol and its ancillary entertainment venues declined. Simultaneous with the decline in government revenue due to the Great Depression, a Democratic coalition emerged and supported Franklin Roosevelt in his bid for the presidency. Roosevelt made job creation his priority and included the repeal of Prohibition on his platform. Political concerns also extended beyond simply appealing to potential voters.  If the passage of a federal income tax granted the nation’s legislators the flexibility to eliminate excise taxes on alcohol, the declining revenues from taxing those incomes encouraged them to reconsider. Almost immediately after Roosevelt’s inauguration, Congress proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would repeal Prohibition, and in less than a year enough states approved the resolution to end nationwide Prohibition in December of 1933. As before, states and local governments could enforce their own prohibitions, but the issue of a nationwide ban on alcohol has never been seriously considered again. ====Sources====

  [[Category:Wikis]][[Category:United States History]][[Category:20th Century History]][[Category:Religious History]][[Category:Legal History]]{{Contributors}}