Source: Edward Behr. Prohibition: 13 Years That Changed America (2013)
In 18th Century America, alcohol in one-form-or-another was so plentiful and so cheap that most Americans went through life in a semi-perpetual alcoholic haze. An American tradition was not only plentiful alcohol, but plenty of time-off (as in hours/days) for consumption. This was a tradition carried over from Europe, especially Britain; in 1720s England there was a "Gin Craze" that was similar to the Crack Cocaine epidemic that ravaged 1980s America. In Colonial America, it was rum, not gin, that was king, and hard liquor (and even beer) was consumed far more than wine.
(Below: American Colonists enjoying a concoction commonly known as "Rum Punch")
(Below: American Colonists enjoying a concoction commonly known as "Rum Punch")
In contrast to Europe, Colonial America, despite its factionalism, didn't have nearly the same level of strife, which allowed Temperance (and then Prohibition) to slowly take root. Also, there was a link between liquor and politics in Colonial America, especially in taverns.
Colonial tavern owners were economically and politically powerful; they not only delivered votes by providing (often free) liquor, but their taverns were the epicenter of politics for the area. Politicians, to be taken seriously, basically had to be an engaging presence in a tavern(s) in order to be elected/re-elected. The tavern keeper would buy votes and politicians that matched his ideology with liquor.
(Below: an "election" involving alcohol in Colonial America)
Colonial tavern owners were economically and politically powerful; they not only delivered votes by providing (often free) liquor, but their taverns were the epicenter of politics for the area. Politicians, to be taken seriously, basically had to be an engaging presence in a tavern(s) in order to be elected/re-elected. The tavern keeper would buy votes and politicians that matched his ideology with liquor.
(Below: an "election" involving alcohol in Colonial America)
Tavern keepers (and the clergy) were the key opinion-makers long before the development of modern media . . . however, the status of the tavern keeper would sharply decrease after the Civil War, in that the percentage of tavern keepers that were foreign-born would rise significantly.
(Below: a depiction of an apple press - the first step in making hard apple cider)
(Below: a depiction of an apple press - the first step in making hard apple cider)
Hard apple cider was the staple alcoholic beverage since the early-1700s for most Colonists, and then whiskey made its debut in the 1760s. As the 19th Century progressed, rum and gin became working-class staples, while for those with greater socio-economic status, madeira, port, or malaga were consumed (Beer wasn't heavily consumed until German immigrants came to America in significant numbers starting in the 1830s).
By 1810, the population of the U.S. was 7 million, and among those millions, alcohol consumption was rampant. One estimation, based on the somewhat measurable data of the day, was that the average per capita consumption of alcohol was 10-12 gallons of distilled spirits a year (a more realistic estimate would be in the 3 to 4 gallon range: by 1830, citizens over the age of 15 consumed 7 gallons of alcohol per year). Here is another way to measure the alcohol consumption from our early history: In Washington's first four months as President, 25% of his budget was spent on various varieties of liquor.
From early Colonial times, some Puritans, such as Increase and Cotton Mather, favored Temperance (limiting, or tempering, the consumption of alcohol). By the 1740s, the small percentage of people that classified themselves as Temperance leaders had, in their minds, linked drinking alcohol with spiritual neglect. To these Temperance leaders, excessive drinking was the source of the lack of adherence to religion and social order.
By 1810, the population of the U.S. was 7 million, and among those millions, alcohol consumption was rampant. One estimation, based on the somewhat measurable data of the day, was that the average per capita consumption of alcohol was 10-12 gallons of distilled spirits a year (a more realistic estimate would be in the 3 to 4 gallon range: by 1830, citizens over the age of 15 consumed 7 gallons of alcohol per year). Here is another way to measure the alcohol consumption from our early history: In Washington's first four months as President, 25% of his budget was spent on various varieties of liquor.
From early Colonial times, some Puritans, such as Increase and Cotton Mather, favored Temperance (limiting, or tempering, the consumption of alcohol). By the 1740s, the small percentage of people that classified themselves as Temperance leaders had, in their minds, linked drinking alcohol with spiritual neglect. To these Temperance leaders, excessive drinking was the source of the lack of adherence to religion and social order.
Dr. Benjamin Rush (pictured) was the first to clinically analyze the negative effects of liquor. Rush's study was an early-1800s equivalent to the Surgeon General's warning with cigarettes in the 1960s. The crux of Rush's argument was that people needed to switch from hard liquor to wine or beer (and drink less). As a result of its publication, Temperance societies started to sprout up in the U.S. (the diminutive President James Madison still drank a pint of whiskey before breakfast every morning).
The first Temperance publication in Boston was The Philanthropist in 1826; by 1829, there were at least a thousand Temperance Societies throughout America. There were so many Temperance Societies that the clergy were forced to take notice. By 1836, Dr. Rush's study had become "lost in translation", in that with the clergy running point, Temperance Societies were on the warpath against all liquor for religious reasons - in parts of the U.S., there was already open support for Prohibition.
The first Temperance publication in Boston was The Philanthropist in 1826; by 1829, there were at least a thousand Temperance Societies throughout America. There were so many Temperance Societies that the clergy were forced to take notice. By 1836, Dr. Rush's study had become "lost in translation", in that with the clergy running point, Temperance Societies were on the warpath against all liquor for religious reasons - in parts of the U.S., there was already open support for Prohibition.
From the 1830s-on, Temperance focused on the moral cost of drinking - it was a "Mortal Sin". More clergy were comparing drinking with eternal damnation and sobriety with salvation. In America, drinking alcohol became a religious problem, not a political or social problem.
To Temperance leaders like Reverend Justin Edwards (pictured), the alcohol industry represented a vast Godless conspiracy to undermine traditional society . . . Americans, then as now, were susceptible to conspiracy theories. As the Temperance Movement began to grow, the rate of alcohol consumption actually decreased; by 1850, per capita consumption of alcohol was down to a little less than two gallons per year.
To Temperance leaders like Reverend Justin Edwards (pictured), the alcohol industry represented a vast Godless conspiracy to undermine traditional society . . . Americans, then as now, were susceptible to conspiracy theories. As the Temperance Movement began to grow, the rate of alcohol consumption actually decreased; by 1850, per capita consumption of alcohol was down to a little less than two gallons per year.
On 2 June, 1851, the Maine legislature made the sale of liquor illegal throughout the state; decades later, it would become the basis for the 18th Amendment. The leader of the Prohibition movement in Maine was the "Napoleon of Temperance", Colonel Neal Dow (pictured). He was among the first to believe that a legislative solution was the best method to drastically reduce alcohol consumption, and improve society.
In opposition were the "Wets", which were mostly staunch conservatives backed by brewers, distillers, and saloon keepers. Not only did "Wets" oppose Temperance / Prohibition, they also opposed the emancipation of African Slaves. To these social conservatives, Temperance and Abolitionism came from the same brood of trouble-makers: they believed that their status and influence were under attack.
In opposition were the "Wets", which were mostly staunch conservatives backed by brewers, distillers, and saloon keepers. Not only did "Wets" oppose Temperance / Prohibition, they also opposed the emancipation of African Slaves. To these social conservatives, Temperance and Abolitionism came from the same brood of trouble-makers: they believed that their status and influence were under attack.
The Maine Prohibition law was easily circumvented: it didn't actually prohibit drinking, it just outlawed saloons. Alcohol could be imported and consumed - a common way around the law was to sell a five-cent soda cracker, but the rum was "free". Also, code phrases such as "do you want to see a Blind Pig" meant "do you want a glass of rum"; it was the beginning of what would become known during Prohibition as a "Speakeasy".
In the 1850s, the momentum of the Temperance Movement ground to a halt due to the increasing likelihood of Civil War. During the Civil War, taxes on liquor and beer were deemed essential in order to help fund the war effort, especially in the Union. However, the Civil War would prove to be a very useful springboard for what would eventually become the first powerful Prohibition lobbying group, the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) . . .
(Below: A Temperance poster called "The Drunkard's Progress" from 1846)
In the 1850s, the momentum of the Temperance Movement ground to a halt due to the increasing likelihood of Civil War. During the Civil War, taxes on liquor and beer were deemed essential in order to help fund the war effort, especially in the Union. However, the Civil War would prove to be a very useful springboard for what would eventually become the first powerful Prohibition lobbying group, the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) . . .
(Below: A Temperance poster called "The Drunkard's Progress" from 1846)