Prohibition
One of the most conflicted points of United States history is associated with the temperance movement, which culminated into a federal constitutional amendment prohibiting the production, transportation, and sale of all alcoholic beverages. The 18th Amendment to the constitution marked the end of a long and ardent campaign to eliminate all the ills of American society. The root of prohibition is seated in the reality of the alcohol, problem in the Americas stemming almost from the first settlements in the area, alcohol was even a form of currency in some areas of the country. The culmination of the high profit potential and the seemingly endless demand for it, alcohol could be seen as the source of many cultural problems, and it was viewed, by some as the not so hidden but largely tolerated source of countless human and community failings.
In 1920 a 200-year campaign culminated in the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which stated that 'the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors ... For beverage purposes, is hereby prohibited'. Prohibition struck a chord with many citizens, who believed it would transform America into 'a law abiding, pure and healthy country' by alleviating alcohol's destructive effects, such as crime, poverty and low productivity. (Bryce 37)
The reasons for the development of the temperance movement are many and the degrees of the demands of temperance were many.
In 1919, the 18th Amendment - making the United States officially "dry" - was ratified and set to take effect in 1920. America's "Noble Experiment" with Prohibition lay on the road ahead like black powder and blasting caps. Not much good would come from it. ("Running Rum Was a" BM4)
Some believed in absolute abstinence while others believed in simply maintaining moderation in consumption that should never result in drunkenness, while still others believed that the most evil of the alcoholic beverages were those with higher concentrations of alcohol, the spirits while bee and wine were fine if consumed in moderation.
When Congress and then the states approved the 18th Amendment, they did so after a century's experience in local regulation and at a time when a majority of the people in a majority of the states wanted this truly national effort to influence national morality. Many people who rejoiced in the triumph of the 18th Amendment did not regard beer and wine as thereby prohibited. Others, to be sure, hoped that all such beverages would in fact be prohibited; and even some of them, were still dedicated and determined drinkers. Their case did not rest on foolishness or prejudice alone. Prominent psychologists and neurologists-more ominous even than Increase Matherhad declared that alcohol in any form was in fact a poison. (Clark 9)
Yet, the extreme nature of acceptance of alcoholic consumption and its effects, coupled with the power of the "dry" rhetoric created a campaign unlike almost any other political movement.
Nevertheless, social acceptance of this drug still remains. These laws have neither crippled nor eliminated the problem. The more a behavior is suppressed, often the more it occurs. The alcoholic prohibition experiment in the United States was very revealing about American culture (Norton, Katzman, Escott, Chudacoff, Paterson & Tuttle, 1990). Prohibition Attempts to prohibit alcohol usage have been made since colonial times. Temperance movements began to gain sizable support by the public and government. The first national temperance society was formed in 1836. The temperance movement led to the adoption of full prohibition, rather than just temperance alone. Since the major parties of the political sphere refused to take a stance on the prohibition issue, a third party known as the Prohibition Party was formed in 1869. Although the party was never successful, their ideas spread throughout the country. (Krohn and Pyc 459)
Prohibition was seen as a solution to all the problems facing a rapidly growing culture. The stress and strain of industrialization determined the need for change, and the era of the progressives was marked by a popular belief that the evolution of change would begin with the creation of social controls. Social controls would take the form of laws, which were believed to eventually be realized in changed perceptions about the need for self-governing constraint to solve social problems. Yet, this did not occur in any region as the demand completely won the day and created even greater profitability and demand.
The prohibition movement reached its peak in the late 19th century, however, it was not until the southwestern states turned to prohibition that the issue gained mass popularity. There were many factors leading to the passage of this ineffective legislation. In order...
It was an important event in the nation's history because it was the first time that America was dominated by internal conflicts that challenged its democracy (Fortuna, n.d.). However, once the fighting came to an end, its significance became clear because of its effects on the American society. Despite of taking more than 60,000 lives, the American Civil War contributed to the establishment of the Democratic South and Republican North.
Four men stand out as the penultimate figures of Post-Impressionism, namely, Georges Suerat (1859-1891), Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), Paul Gauguin (1843-1903) and Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), all of whom at first accepted the Impressionist methods and then moved away from it toward a new type of painting. In the case of Cezanne, the basis of his art had much to do with studying nature in a new way, for his aim
The sense of comparison is not necessarily explicit but rather implicit. It seems that Fanny is a mere observant to the way in which Mary comes to life her life and to adjust to the requirements of her education, both in a spiritual manner as well as in a financial one. The education of the individual at the time consisted of different aspects, but most importantly, it had one aim
De La Croix, 865-66. Artists in the nineteenth century were confronted by three innovations that fatefully affected their craft: the camera, the mass produced print, and the printed reproduction. The collective techniques of an industrial age forced nineteenth century artists to analyze their function and to study closely the physical nature of their medium. Hyde, Minor, Art History's History. 32-35. Baroque Art emerged in Europe around 1600, as a reaction against
A major point of the above is that the winners of wars typically write the history books and their reverence and view of history may not be all that positive. Examples like that litter the pages of history including the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire and so on. Architecture is molded and shaped to this very day by countries generally take a dim view of religion and the associated
Europe Women's Suffrage Most countries in Western and Central Europe, including Great Britain granted women the vote right after World War I, and only in the Scandinavian nations of Norway and Finland did they receive it earlier than that. France stood out as exceptional, however, no matter that it was the homeland of democratic revolution and of the idea of equal rights for women. It also had a highly conservative side
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now