In Washington, D.C. on the day of December 10, 1913 one of the largest prohibition demonstration took place within the city. There were 1,000 women from the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and 1,000 men from the Anti-Saloon League that marched silently to the capital. The article states that the ranks were swelled by hundreds of people who joined the march singing “Onward, Christian Soldiers,”...
In a New York Times article published on February 25, 1915 titled “Prohibition Running Amuck” a story is told about a newspaper and magazine distributer in Birmingham, Alabama. The distributers name was Hiram R. De Laye and he was the largest distributor in Birmingham. He was arrested because he sold a copy of a newspaper published outside Alabama that had a liquor advertisement within the newspaper....
On April 15, 1910 a man by the name M. A. Nupatree documented his travels through the state of Georgia. Nupatree documented his travels through the larger as well as the smaller cites because he wanted to study prohibition throughout the state. In his paper Nupatree claimed to be indifferent on the subject of prohibition, saying he observed everything with an impartial eye. However, Nupatree did go...
“Chicago may have put the roar in the roaring Twenties but it was Wisconsin with its steady resistance from otherwise law abiding citizens that was the straw on the camels back of Prohibition.” That is what Michael Bie said in his book titled “It Happened in Wisconsin” about the sentiment in Wisconsin during prohibition. Then it was April 2, 1929 when 64% of Wisconsin voters voted yes to...
In the early twentieth century, the United States was involved in two “wars”, a military conflict in which those of German ancestry were vilified as part of the war effort, and a social and political campaign that used this hatred of Germans as a tool to further its cause. America’s entry into World War One sparked an anti-German sentiment that targeted many accomplished members of society...
The American Temperance Society was founded in 1826, and the movement gained momentum after the Civil War. During the late 19th century, women's organizations took on temperance as a domestic issue, using it as one of the many reform efforts that justified their activism outside the home. When Progressives took up the cause in the early 20th century, partly out of anit-immigrant sentiment and partly...
My article "Beer Vote Legality Due for Court Test" from May 9th, 1935, refers to a court test of Ontario’s Liquor Control Act. The challenge sought to determine whether plebiscites on prohibiting the sale of alcohol were legal. Lawyer W.H. Bouck organized the petition that prompted the vote by Lindsay’s City Council. The Council’s ruling was a close 5 to 4 decision to hold a plebiscite to ascertain...
Women and Prohibition It is not a new discovery that women have played a significant role in changing the face of America. For example, women pushed desperately to pass the 21st amendment (1933) repealing the 18th amendment (1919); prohibition. While previous women desperately fought to create the 18th amendment, none of them truly sought through the possible consequences its implementation could...
During Prohibition, alcohol use was never outlawed entirely; only the manufacturing, selling, transporting, importing, or exporting alcohol was illegal. American citizens were not prosecuted for consuming alcohol, but they had to turn to the illegal liquor trade to have access to alcohol. This made criminals of millions of Americans. As the number of criminals increased at an alarming rate, a proportionate...
Imagine America without alcohol. Now imagine a booming American city without alcohol. For most Americans during the Prohibition Era (1920-1933), this was just as hard to imagine. Which is why many did not allow the ban on booze to stop them from enjoying it. The Detroit River served as the perfect medium for these devoted drinkers, as this article from the Atlanta Constitution August 19, 1927,...