The early 20th century was a time of great change for America. World War One brought a whole new meaning to warfare and challenged politicians and government officials to set the tone for America’s presence on the world stage. Twenty years later, America was again involved in a war, this time with a powerful Nazi Regime. Nestled in between these times of calamity lies the 1920’s. Although there was no combat or soldiers being deployed overseas; America was definitely at war. This was a culture war, full of battles against alcohol, censorship, and the role of the church in politics and in everyday life. Although there were no casualties, the aftermath of these culture wars changed the lives of many Americans and even set the stage for the culture …show more content…
Saloons acted as places of fellowship and were in every town making alcohol more accessible. Alcohol became an all day event, some businesses even provided spirits to their workers during the day. Many fundamentalists saw the rise of drinking as a threat to the family structure and the demise of morality. Some progressives believed that alcohol diminished the ability for humans to be productive, so they also considered it a threat. In the late 1800’s, parties and organizations supporting prohibition helped pass legislation within the states and supported local dry laws. By 1917, twenty - six states, which was more than half of the U.S. population at the time, were considered dry states (Hankins 2010, 25). Prohibition was a major topic that was difficult to contain to only some states. Prohibitionist worked tirelessly to promote the outlawing of alcohol nationwide. World War One aided in the social reform as the government influenced cities to close saloons near military training camps as it was too big of a distraction for the soldiers. “ Moreover, Prohibitionists lined German breweries with the German enemy in the war, turning Prohibition into patriotism” (Hankins 2010, 26). With the help of World War One and the work of prohibitionist, the eighteenth amendment passed signaling prohibition …show more content…
“Prohibitionists believed they had the right to outlaw the saloon if it threatened the family and any other institution on which a free society had been built. Many on the other side favored a new version of freedom. They believed that individual rights came from the community or even family. The family was merely the unit in which the individual found self-expression (Hankins 2010, 39). Those opposed to prohibition believed outlawing saloons was encouraging bootlegged liquor which caused thousands of deaths due to poisoning. Another proposed argument stated that prohibition was corrupting women. They believed that alcohol continued to dominate social functions because it was cool to defy the law and the sneaking of alcohol fit with the risqué lifestyle. Prohibitionist wanted to protect the family structure and saw alcohol and saloons as a poor substitute. Prohibition succeeded in the fact that is was able to reduce the influence of the saloon and the drinking in general. It also brought attention to the relationship between community values and individual
During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, many saw alcohol as a cause of instability among communities. To counteract the effects of alcohol on American society, The Temperance Movement, Prohibition Party and many others sought to enact anti-liquor laws that would prohibit the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. On January 19, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment had taken effect and a nationwide ban on alcohol was enacted. This was thought of as a solution to the many problems that America had at the time, but it only made matters worse. The American society had been greatly affected by the Eighteenth Amendment in many negative aspects such as increasing crime and violence, worsening the economy, and much more.
Enacting prohibition in a culture so immersed in alcohol as America was not easy. American had long been a nation of strong social drinkers with a strong feeling towards personal freedom. As Okrent remarks, “George Washington had a still on his farm. James Madison downed a pint of whiskey a day”. This was an era when drinking liquor on ships was far safer than the stale scummy water aboard, and it was common fo...
As a nation coming out of a devastating war, America faced many changes in the 1920s. It was a decade of growth and improvements. It was also a decade of great economic and political confidence. However, with all the changes comes opposition. Social and cultural fears still caused dichotomous rifts in American society.
... People, on the whole, did not want such restrictions on their lives; one reporter at the time declared that “I have never gone anywhere in this country where the liquor law was observed. Personally, I do not know a single leading banker in the U.S., a single leading industrial executive.who does not break this law and who does not drink.” The public did not want their freedom threatened by a need to enforce a failing law they did not support in the first place. In 1920, a leading Prohibitionist declared in Congress that “There is as much chance of repealing the Eighteenth Amendment as there is for a hummingbird to fly to the planet Mars with the Washington Monument tied to its tail.”
After the war, the American people made the change from "old" ways to "new" ways. Many factors, such as new technology, fundamentalism, new looks and church led to tension between the old and the new. The 1920s were a time of conflicting viewpoints between traditional behaviors and new and changing attitudes.
...ing legend of the Good War" (Adams, 2). While the war changed the lives of every American, the most notable changes were that in demographics, the labor force, economic prosperity and cultural trends.
The real reason the Prohibition Act was passed is not because the Legislation had voted for it, but rather the large amount of supporters it had. 33 out of 48 states had already passed the laws within 1920. The direct support was mainly coming from the South, which the number grew from 1820’s to 1840’s. These groups mainly campaigned against the outcome of drinking alcohol. Woman’s groups were behind many temperance movements for they were targets of abuse due to drunken husbands. Many times drinking was blamed upon the economics and the changes it has undergone.
Technology played an important role in the daily lives of Americans in the 1920s. Many inventions and new developments occurred during this time. A large number of items that are used today were invented by individuals and teams in research laboratories. This technology brought many conveniences such as electrical power and indoor plumbing into the home. Radios gave people access to the news and provided entertainment. Mass culture was also born and the automobile became the largest consumer product of the decade. By 1929, one in five Americans had an automobile on the road. America experienced a decade of economic growth due to the impact of technology in the 1920s.
The prohibition movement was aimed primarily at closing saloons. Saloons were the brewing companies place in retail business, selling alcohol by the glass. In the early twentieth century, there was one saloon for every one-hundred fifty or two-hundred Americans. This competitiveness forced saloon keepers to find other ways to make money. By the 1920's saloons had become houses of gambling and prostitution, not the innocent, friendly bar we associate the word with today (Why Prohibition?). The prohibition advocates found such establishments offensive, and sought to revoke their licenses.
Economic and Social Effects of Prohibition There are many ways in which prohibition of alcohol consumption in the United States of America, damaged the very economic and social aspects of American culture, that it was. designed to heal the body. “Prohibition did not achieve its goals”. Instead, it added to the problems it was intended to solve.”
Prohibition originated in the nineteenth century but fully gained recognition in the twentieth century. The Prohibition was originally known as the Temperance Movement. In the 1820s and 1830s, a wave of religious revivalism developed in the United States, leading to increased calls for temperance, as well as other reform movements such as the abolition of slavery (“Prohibition”). These reforms were often led by middle class women. The abolition of slavery became a more important topic of debate until after the Civil War. By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a common thing throughout the communities in the United States (“Prohibition”). Women advocated the unity of the family, and they believed alcohol prevented such a thing. Drunken husbands only brought about negativity to the home, and women could not support that behavior. Suffragists, in their pursuit for voting rights, also sought to eliminate alcohol from the home. Small-scale legislation had been passed in several states, but no national laws had been enacted. On January 29, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified by Congress; it banned t...
The introduction of prohibition in 1919 created numerous opinions and issues in American society. Prohibition has been a long-standing issue in America, with groups promoting it since the late eighteenth century. The movement grew tremendously during the nineteenth century. When the United States entered World War 1 in 1914, there was a shortage of grain due to the long demands to feed the soldiers. Since grain is one of the major components in alcohol, the temperance movement now had the war to fuel their fight. Thus, the war played a large part in the introduction of Prohibition. During the net five years many states enacted their own prohibition laws, and finally, on December 16,1919, Amendment 18 went into effect. It states that, “…the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors…. For beverage purpose is hereby prohibited.”(Constitution)
They also horrifically claimed 3000 infants were smothered in their beds yearly. The temperance movement got stronger and persuaded most state governments to ban the sale of alcohol in their state. The anti-saloon leagues official spokesman Wayne B.Wheeler had a massive influence over the senate e.g. “the senate….sits up and begs when Dr Wayne B.Wheeler cracks the whip” this proved how strong the temperance movement had become. Industrialists also supported Prohibition especially the big business men like Henry Ford and Rockefeller. They believed that if there was no-alcohol their work staff would not turn up to work hung-over or drunk and so this would increase production.
From 1919 until 1933, national Prohibition dominated every aspect of American life. Prohibition began in the late 1800s with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the Anti-Saloon League, both of which, not always peacefully, fought for the total abolition of alcohol in the United States. People that sided with these unions were known as “the drys”. Eventually, in a failure to compromise with “the wets”, those who believed that alcohol was meant for pleasure and should not be abolished, the 18th Amendment was created, which outlawed the buying and selling of alcohol. Due to the overall anger of citizens, organized crime dramatically increased during the period after the passing of the 18th Amendment. Finally, 14 years later, Congress
Challenging Law The Prohibition laws in the United States of America during the 1920s created many problems for the American people Some of the immediate effects of the Prohibition were events like the new law because it created a negative response from Americans towards government regulations. Stores were forced to close and people showed their disapproval of the new law through protest and showing their dissatisfaction. Many law-abiding citizens turned to illegal activities, like bootlegging. After Prohibition went into effect, the want of alcohol did not dissolve.