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Prohibition. U.S. History II. The Temperance Movement. Traditional distinction between distilled & fermented beverages Distilled (“hard”) liquor was targeted Fermented (beer, wine, cider) was not Antebellum campaigns worked well 13 states had “Maine” laws by 1855
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Prohibition U.S. History II
The Temperance Movement • Traditional distinction between distilled & fermented beverages • Distilled (“hard”) liquor was targeted • Fermented (beer, wine, cider) was not • Antebellum campaigns worked well • 13 states had “Maine” laws by 1855 • Annual per capita consumption of pure alcohol dropped from 10 gallons in 1830 to 2.1 gallons by 1850
Industrialization of Brewing • Pasteurization & refrigerated cars • Saloons linked to gambling & prostitution • Total annual beer consumption rose dramatically: • 1850: 36 million gallons • 1870: 204 million gallons • 1880: 414 million gallons • 1890: 855 million gallons • Population increased 300%, from 23 to 63 million Schlitz Tavern, Chicago
The New Temperance Crusade • Women’s Christian Temperance Union campaigned under the slogan, “Home Protection” • Frances Willard was president (1879-98) • Linked achievement of goals to women’s suffrage • In 10 out of 12 states where women voted before 1919, Prohibition was enacted Frances Willard
The Anti-Saloon League • Wayne B. Wheeler established the Anti-Saloon League in 1895 • Drafted legislation & defended it in courts • Worked for other Progressive reforms, too • Over 90% of ASL funds came from donations of less than $100, mostly from church pledge drives Wayne B. Wheeler
Congressional Legislation • Webb-Kenyon Act (1913) banned liquor shipments into “dry” states (35 by 1916) • Congress banned sale of alcohol to soldiers • Lever Food & Fuel Control Act (1917) forbade distilling from food products • Wilson issued presidential proclamation limiting beer to 2.5% alcohol in Dec. 1917 • 18th Amendment (Dec. 1917) prohibited “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” • Volstead Act (Oct. 1919) was “bone dry,” but made exceptions for medicinal, religious or industrial uses.
Prohibition in Practice,1919-1933 • Consumption of alcohol dropped 33% - 50% • Not responsible for crime wave or “flaming youth” • Boosted consumer spending in other areas, fueling 1920s boom. • Prohibition Bureau got $6,750,000 in 1922 for 3,060 employees
The End of Prohibition • Wickersham Commission reported in 1931 that laws weren’t being enforced • Association Against the Prohibition Amendment led repeal campaign • Framed issue as creating jobs during Depression • Lobbied with money from Rockefellers & DuPonts • FDR was “damp,” but signalled he would sign 21st Amendment (passed March 1933) • 73% majority in rural & urban districts ratified the amendment by Dec. 1933 • Congress had allowed beer sales beginning April 4, 1933