9.4.7: Temperance Movements

Temperance Movements

Various states, counties, cities, and even townships have passed laws to restrict or prohibit the production and sale of alcohol, with varied success,since before the American Revolution. Religious conservatives and women’s groups started several temperance movements during the 19th century. They had little success. The alcohol industry was important almost everywhere. Almost every small town in America had a locally operated brewery, winery, or distillery. During this time, alcohol taxes were also an important source of tax revenue for various levels of government, especially during wartime. During the 19th century, millions of immigrants streamed into the US, bringing with them a variety of European cultural traditions, some of which involved copious consumption of wine, beer, or spirits. Some argued that there was a strong association between heavy drinking and a variety of social ills, many of which were pronounced within immigrant communities. In the aftermath of World War I, the politics of booze changed. The political power of beer/wine drinking German-Americans was greatly diminished, while women’s political power greatly increased. Safe drinking water became widely available, and income taxes capable of offsetting the loss of alcohol taxes were in place. These factors permitted the temperance movement to surge forward, and the 18th Amendment passed outlawing the production of most types of alcohol in the United States.

Figure New York City - Men Pour barrel of alcohol into sewer while law enforcements officials look on during the prohibition era

This grand legal experiment, known today as Prohibition, lasted 13 years (1920-1933) and it is widely considered a failure today. During Prohibition, Americans could not legally sell, produce, import, or transport alcohol. Overall, the consumption of alcohol fell, and so too did the overall crime rate, but enforcing Prohibition quickly became a massive problem. Because there was still a large demand for booze, the illegal transport and sale of alcohol, known as Bootlegging, began almost immediately. Widespread violation of Prohibition occurred because many Americans thought outlawing alcohol was unjust and beyond the authority of the government. Enforcing prohibition quickly overwhelmed the police, the courts, and the penal system. Corruption among the police was rife. Canada and Mexico had no similar laws, so they became major production centers for booze that was smuggled into the United States. Owners of shuttered breweries, wineries, and distilleries took up the cause to repeal the 18th Amendment. Even doctors, many of whom relied upon alcohol to concoct medicinal liquors (cough syrup, etc.) wanted to repeal the law. After more than a decade, the balance of evidence seemed to suggest that Prohibition had failed. The law did not fit the prevailing sentiment on alcohol. It is from this experiment that the expression, “You can’t legislate morality” emerged. Still, lawmakers in many parts of the US continue to try to do just that.

Figure Promotional Poster 1973. This poster featuring both German and English proclaims the virtue of wine as a component of a happy married life. It stakes a claim to the moral legitimacy of German- American Values