Wait…am I off track on topics yet again? Tuesday is supposed to be some type of alcohol topic! Don’t worry my friends….today you will learn a little American History about this country in the early 1900s.
In the time between 1920 and 1933, alcohol was illegal here in the US due to Prohibition and the ratification of the 18th Amendment. The U.S. wanted Prohibition due to a combination of factors, including the belief that it would improve public morals and health, reduce crime, and solve social problems like domestic abuse and poverty. It was also driven by powerful lobbying groups like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League, which were concerned about the destructive effects of alcohol on families and the workforce. Additionally, progressive reformers saw Prohibition as a way to impose greater control and order on society.
Well…..that didn’t stop people from drinking. Tell people they can’t do something they enjoy and have been doing for years and they will find a way around it. They certainly did and that led to a surge in organized crime, smuggling, and corruption, as illegal alcohol production and distribution became highly profitable. It also resulted in unintended social changes, like the rise of speakeasies and a new sense of rebellion among women.
Prohibition lasted about 14 years but ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution on December 5, 1933, which repealed the 18th Amendment. This was largely a result of public opinion shifting due to the Great Depression, which made the economic benefits of ending the alcohol ban (like new jobs and tax revenue) more appealing than maintaining it.
So there is a little history lesson for you. Want some good bar/pub trivia for your friends? Ask them which two states (of the 48 at the time) rejected the 18th Amendment. The answer to that question is Connecticut and Rhode Island. And some kudos go to my home state of New Jersey who fought in legislation for two years against the ratification of the 18th Amendment but ultimately ratified it in March of 1922.
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