History 113 Research Paper 12/5/08 The Temperance Movement and its Effects on American Culture The19th century in antebellum America was filled with reform movements. These individuals saw reform as an indication that they had taken control of their own lives and had become morally accountable human beings. These reform movements however encountered much hostility and were not embraced by all Americans. The Temperance Movement was no different, finding its strongest support in the North Eastern States. In 1831, over one-third of the temperance pledges cam from New England, a region that contained eighteen percent of the nation’s free population.
In their eyes introducing prohibition could decrease the levels of prostitution, gambling and crime in the cities .The war provided prohibitionists with more ammunition to support their cause. They argued that as the government was calling for maximum agriculture production, so how could they justify the wasteful use of grains for beer and spirits? The prohibition lobby was also able to harness anti-German wartime hostility as the majority of brewers were of German origin, and that their trade organisation helped finance the National German-American Alliance which was a potent source for the Kaiser. Alcohol was also said to undermine military discipline and the virtue of young soldiers. Although world war one played a significant factor in giving ammunition to prohibitionists such as the patriotic feeling, and the fact that the government had begun to interfere
It succeeded in getting passed primarily due to the propaganda used by prohibitionists and ultimately failed due to the intense criminal activity that occurred as a repercussion of its passing as well as the economic turmoil of the Great Depression. It is hard to put an exact date or time on the beginning of the prohibitionist movement, but many believe that the first real attack on the legalization of alcohol began in 1840. Many different religious organizations, the Methodists being the most prominent, began campaigning a dry movement in which they promoted the idea of banning alcohol completely. While the movement lasted a couple of years it had died down by 1850. It was not until the late 19th century that this movement would be given a new breath of life, when two organizations were founded that would end up being major proponents in the prohibitionist movement: The Prohibition Party in 1869 and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1873.
However as the war progressed and more issues became apparent, the divide between the rich and the poor and the left and the right wing became vaster. Before the war had commenced liberals and socialists were aggravated with German democracy. Germany portrayed itself as a democratic state, however all the power belonged to the elite. Kaiser Wilhelm II even boasted that he had never read the constitution. Therefore Liberals wanted constitutional reform and more power to be given to the Reichstag.
White men now had universal manhood suffrage. The United States had achieved what many countries at this time could not achieve, but they were still lacking in guaranteeing political democracy for women, slaves, freed African Americans, Indians, and slaves. Philip Hone, a New York City businessman and Whig politician reported on a pro-slavery riot in Philadelphia on 1834 (DE). He made it clear that there was not political democracy with in Philadelphia in regards to the rights of African Americans. Harriet Martineau, a British author reported on her 1834 visit to the U.S. She believed that the U.S. was politically democratic and diversified (DD).
Before the Spanish American War in 1890, a primary measure was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Harrison to prohibit the threatening monopolies erupting throughout the nation; it was called the Sherman Antitrust Act. Trusts started to become the dominant figure in many major industries, therefore, consequently developing these ominous monopolies which crushed many opportunities for other businesses. Passing this new legislation empowered the federal government with the authorization to obliterate the monopolies. This act may as well have been diminished because for nearly a decade it was not enforced and monopolies still ruled throughout. It was not until Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency that the enforcement of the Sherman Antitrust Act began to have an impact on the monopolies.
After all, the father of this great country was the largest whiskey distiller in the late 1700’s (Towe 164). Time would show how Prohibition, with the greatest of intents, led to some negative side effects such as increased crime rates, public disrespect for the law, as well as providing the establishment of criminal organizations – most notable the American Mafia (Florien). The 18th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution aided in the formation of organized crime by providing the basic foundation required for any fledgling business: economics,
Women played a strong role in the temperance movement, as alcohol was seen as a destructive force in families and marriages. In 1906, a new wave of attacks began on the sale of liquor, led by the Anti-Saloon League (established in 1893) and driven by a reaction to urban growth, as well as the rise of evangelical Protestantism and its view of saloon culture as corrupt and ungodly. In addition, many factory owners supported prohibition in their desire to prevent accidents and increase the efficiency of their workers in an era of increased industrial production and extended working hours. Passage of the Prohibition Amendment In 1917, after the United States entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson instituted a temporary wartime prohibition in order to save grain for producing food. That same year, Congress submitted the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors, for state ratification.
Prohibition had a negative impact on the United States because of the resulting organized crime, the corruption of police and government officials and the lack of enforcement of the law. After the American Revolution there was a marked increase in drinking of alcoholic beverages. In an effort to circumvent this, various societies were organized as part of a Temperance movement which attempted to convince people to refrain from imbibing and becoming intoxicated. One of the most prominent and efficient of these was the Woman’s Christian Temperance Movement established in 1874. Initially these organizations encouraged moderation, but eventually the movement's focus shifted to complete prohibition of alcohol consumption.
The Roman Republic influenced democracy by showing that any other way of ruling is very unfair. I think that the Roman Republic was the most influential to the ideas of today’s democracies. Athens had many philosophers to increase the effectiveness of democracy and reform Athens feared a civil war between the aristocrats and the peasants. The peasants far outnumbered the aristocrats, so they needed to come up with a way to protect themselves from the peasants. Draco was appointed in 632 BCE, but failed to do much at all.