The use and sale of alcohol has always been a point of contention in the United States.
Who were those who were opposed to the sale of alcohol?
What were their primary arguments?
Throughout the 1800s, the opposition to alcohol was known as the Temperance Movement.
In the United States, the Temperance Movement can find its origins with a well-known physician,
Benjamin Rush, who preached about the importance of moderating alcoholic intake.
His message led to the formation of a temperance society in Connecticut, made up of more than
two hundred farmers.
Before long, there were temperance societies in other states as well.
In 1826, the American Temperance Society was formed.
By 1835, this group had 1.5 million members nationwide.
The movement continued to gain momentum throughout the 1840s and 1850s, however, it all but disappeared
during the 1860s due to the Civil War.
The entire nation's attention was focused on the war effort, and causes such as the
temperance movement and the women's suffrage (right to vote) movement were temporarily
placed on hold.
After the war, the temperance movement was revived with the creation of the Prohibition
Party (in 1869) and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (in 1873).
These organizations became the leading groups which denounced the use and sale of alcohol.
As the 1800s progressed, the movement began to experience some success.
In 1881, Kansas became the first state to outlaw the sale and consumption of alcohol.
Carrie A. Nation became a visible leader of the temperance movement because of her aggressive
method of enforcing Kansas' alcohol ban.
She would enter saloons, verbally berate the customers, and then use a hatchet to destroy
all of the bottles of liquor in the establishment.
Other states began to follow Kansas' lead.
In some cases, individual towns or counties would illegalize alcoholic beverages, rather
than an entire state.
By 1900, the temperance movement had become a major factor in local and state politics.
The entire nation seemed to be divided between "Wet" and "Dry".
The Wets supported the sale and consumption of alcohol.
The Drys were opposed.
The Drys were largely made up of protestant Christian groups, such as Methodists, Baptists,
and Presbyterians.
The Wets consisted of Catholics, as well as many others who felt the government should
not attempt to dictate morality to its people.
The Dry arguments against alcohol included how damaging it could be towards families.
They pointed out that things such as physical abuse, poor health, and poverty could all
be caused by the over-consumption of alcohol.
To get their message out, temperance groups produced a number of pamphlets which promoted
their agenda.
Some were scientific in nature, and included facts and statistics supporting their argument.
Other pamphlets were religious in nature, quoting scripture from the Bible.
They also utilized the school system, teaching temperance at a young age and indoctrinating
children into the Dry philosophy.
Strangely enough, the issue of prohibiting alcohol was rarely mentioned in national politics.
The reason for this, was because there were many Wets and Drys in both of the two main
political parties.
However, by 1917, there were 278 members of congress who supported the Dry agenda, compared
to only 126 congressmen who claimed to be Wets.
In December of 1917, a resolution was passed in the House of Representatives calling for
a constitutional amendment.
This amendment, if passed, would prohibit the "manufacture, sale, and transportation
of intoxicating liquors" within the United States.
This amendment was approved by both houses of congress and passed on to the states to
be ratified.
Mississippi became the first state to ratify the amendment on January 8, 1919.
Thirty-six states were needed to ratify the amendment.
This number was achieved just achieved just eight days later, on January 16, 1919, making
it the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
By January 29, forty-four states had approved the amendment.
The 18th Amendment was to be enacted one year from the date of ratification.
Therefore, on January 16, 1920, nationwide prohibition went into effect, and the entire
country became "dry".