- This article discusses the repeal of (alcohol) Prohibition in the United States.
In 1919, the requisite number of legislatures of the States ratified The 18th Amendment to the Federal Constitution, enabling national Prohibition within one year of ratification. Many women, notably the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, had been pivotal in bringing about national Prohibition in the United States of America, believing it would protect families, women and children from the effects of abuse of alcohol.
The proponents of Prohibition had believed that banning alcoholic beverages would reduce or even eliminate many social problems, particularly drunkenness, crime, mental illness, and poverty, and would eventually lead to reductions in taxes. However, during Prohibition, people continued to produce and drink alcohol, and bootlegging helped foster a massive industry completely under the control of organized crime. Prohibitionists argued that Prohibition would be more effective if enforcement were increased. However, increased efforts to enforce Prohibition simply resulted in the government spending more money, rather than less. Journalist H.L. Mencken observed in 1925 that respect for law diminished rather than increased during Prohibition, and drunkenness, crime, insanity, and resentment towards the federal government had all increased.
During this period, support for Prohibition diminished among voters and politicians. John D. Rockefeller Jr., a lifelong nondrinker who had contributed much money to the Prohibitionist Anti-Saloon League, eventually announced his support for repeal because of the widespread problems he believed Prohibition had caused. Influential leaders, such as the du Pont brothers, led the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment, whose name clearly asserted its intentions.
Women as a bloc of voters and activists became pivotal in the effort to repeal, as many concluded that the effects of Prohibition were morally corrupting families, women, and children. (By then, women had become even more politically powerful due to ratification of the Constitutional amendment for women's suffrage.) Activist Pauline Sabin argued that repeal would protect families from the corruption, violent crime, and underground drinking that resulted from Prohibition. In 1929 Sabin founded the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR), which came to be partly composed of and supported by former Prohibitionists; its membership was estimated at 1.5 million by 1931.
The number of repeal organizations and demand for repeal both increased. In 1932, the Democratic Party's platform included a plank for the repeal of Prohibition, and Democrat Franklin Roosevelt ran for President of the United States promising repeal of federal laws of Prohibition. By then, an estimated three fourths of American voters, and an estimated forty-six states, favored repeal.
In 1933, the state conventions ratified the Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed Amendment XVIII and prohibited only the violations of laws that individual states had in regard to "intoxicating liquors". Federal Prohibitionary laws were then repealed. The amendment was fully ratified on December 5, 1933. Some States, however, continued Prohibition within their jurisdictions. Almost two-thirds of all states adopted some form of local option which enabled residents in political subdivisions to vote for or against local Prohibition; therefore, for a time, 38% of Americans lived in areas with Prohibition. By 1966, however, all states had fully repealed their state-level Prohibition laws, with Mississippi the last state to do so. [1]
According to his own account, humorist H. Allen Smith was the first American to legally consume alcohol after the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment. Smith claimed to have bribed a telegraph operator to send a three-click advance warning signal just before sending out the message that Prohibition had been repealed. Smith used the signal to take a quick sip of his drink at the party he was attending.[citation needed]
Today, there are about 18 million Americans living in the hundreds of counties across the United States that maintain Prohibition.[citation needed] However, in most of the nation, alcoholic beverages remain legally available to adults of a certain legally-prescribed age with varying other restrictions.
References
- Cai Cowlyn, Jr., Jack S. Retreat from Reform. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1976.
- Kyvig, David E. Repealing National Prohibition. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1979.
- Pollard, Joseph P. The Road to Repeal: Submission to Conventions. New York: Brentano's , 1932.
- Rose, Kenneth D. American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition. New York University Press, 1997.
- Tietsort, Francis J., (ed.) Temperance -- or Prohibition. NY: American, 1929.
- Willebrandt, Mabel W. The Inside of Prohibition. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1929.
See also
- Joseph H. Choate
- Jouett Shouse
- Methodist Board of Temperance, Prohibition, and Public Morals
- Pauline Sabin
- Repeal organizations
- Republican Citizens Committee Against National Prohibition
- Voluntary Committee of Lawyers
- William H. Stayton
- Women's Moderation Union
- Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform
External links
- Repeal Day - Official Website
- US Congressional Resolution, September 17, 2008, which "celebrates 75 years of effective State-based alcohol regulation since the passage of the 21st Amendment".
- "Whereas passage of the 18th Amendment, which prohibited `the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors' in the United States, resulted in a dramatic increase in illegal activity, including unsafe black market alcohol production, organized crime, and noncompliance with alcohol laws;"
Repeal Prop 8 - "Together As One" Original Song
"Together As One" is an original song about feeling good about yourself and coming together with others regardless of your sexuality. The song was inspired by Equality on Campus Day, which is on January 27, 2009 (for more information, go to http://www.studentsforequality.com), as well as for the LGBT civil rights movement born from the passage of Prop 8 in November 2008. LYRICS: I am someone who believes in justice and liberty I want a world that embraces everybody and we Sing together as one And we walk together as one And we come together as one We will We are the same when we take the time to look inside ourselves We have a heart that is full of love and humanity We can all achieve when we take a chance We can all become who we wanna be We can be the ones we are waiting for We can be the change that we seek today And one day we will find each other and Sing together as one And we walk together as one And we fight together as one And we work together as one And we live together as one And we come together as one Doesn't matter if you are black or white Doesn't matter if you are straight or gay Doesn't matter if you are old or young Doesn't matter if you're bisexual Doesn't matter if you are deaf or blind Doesn't matter if you're a lesbian Doesn't matter if you're transgendered Doesn't maeter if you are questioning I am thankful that we've come a long way from yesterday I hope someday that we will be equal in every way And one day we will find each other and Sing together as one And we walk together as one And we fight together as one And we work together as one And we live together as one Song: Sean Chapin
Author: SeanChapin1
Keywords: together as one equality on campus day students gay lesbian transgender bisexual straight questioning prop doma civil rights movement
Added: January 4, 2009
Speed Limit Repealed
Do you have a need for speed? Then today is the day you have been waiting for - speed limits have been repealed nationwide! Surely nothing can go wrong with this concept... Anchorman Steve O'Brien brings us all the details of this recipie for hot metal carnage, and reporter Mia Caress takes to the nation's highways to get more inside info. This NEWS PARODY was edited by yours truly.
Author: ManInHat76
Keywords: fake newscast humor satire parody AnchorPimp the Onion b-movies hot metal carnage car accidents crashes explosions death on highway autobahn wicked air wrecks funny
Added: January 2, 2009
Surrey Union Hunt Boxing Day December 2008
The Surrey Union Hunt, all scarlets and dark blues in the crisp winter frost, was meeting for its traditional Boxing Day hunt at the Punchbowl Inn at Oakwoodhill. The Hunt Saboteurs Association says its numbers are on the rise, but there is no evidence of this and on Boxing Day they only managed to get 12 hunt saboteurs out of their beds early enough to arrive by midday wearing their traditional black. These uninvited guests were barely noticed by the hunt riders, and their 1000+ supporters, but immediately attracted the attention of four policemen. The Hunting Act is considered ludicrous by many people and this has led to calls by politicians and activists that the law should be repealed. Hunting with dogs was banned in England and Wales four years ago, but on the most important day of the year for hunting, more than 300 hunts were out across the country. Simon Hart of The Countryside Alliance said: "Once again this Boxing Day a huge number of people have showed their support for their local hunts. In the run up to the next general election that support will be channelled into the campaign to repeal the Hunting Act'."This could be the penultimate Boxing Day when hunts are operating under the Hunting Act."
Author: BlesamaSoul
Keywords: "Fox Hunting" "Hunting with hounds" Dogs Horses countryside "hunt saboteurs" "animal rights" "countryside alliance" "Surrey Union" Shooting Snaring Terriers "Top Gear" "Range Rovers" "Land Rovers"
Added: December 29, 2008
Repeal Prop 8 - Wear a White Knot on Inauguration Day
On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our next President. Rick Warren has been asked to provide the invocation. Rick Warren helped pass Proposition 8 which banned gay marriage in California and took away people's rights to marry the one that they love. To show your support for marriage equality, wear a white knot, a powerful symbol of marriage equality, at the Inauguration Ceremony, wherever you are in our country. For more information on white knots and how to make them, go to: http://www.whiteknot.org For more information about the national LGBT equality movement, go to: http://www.jointheimpact.com Certain visuals used in this video are from the WhiteKnot.org website and their campaign. Video: Sean Chapin
Author: SeanChapin1
Keywords: marriage equality repeal prop inauguration obama barack rick warren proposition white knot
Added: December 24, 2008
Walk For Liberty Day 215 - What's The Difference Between Republicans and Democrats?
http://SubYT.WalkForLiberty.com (click here to subscribe to the WalkForLiberty channel) *** Video notes December 19th 2008, day 215 / McSame / Marlborough, NH / McCain may have voted 90% with Bush, but how different are the Democrats? / The 2 major parties portray themselves as being polar opposites / Democrats are supposedly for civil liberties and anti-war but they voted for the Patriot Act and the Iraq War / Republicans are supposedly fiscal conservatives but support Social Security and Medicare / Both parties violate people's personal liberties such as with the seat belt law and the Drug War / They're both parties of big government and are in favor of the status quo in govt / If they're each in favor of smaller govt in certain areas, why don't they try to repeal existing laws? / Business regulations, Department of Education, bringing troops back home / They're just politicians / Passing pet projects / Someone who truly supported liberty, like Ron Paul, would vote against almost everything in congress / Dr. No / 12.29 miles for liberty / http://SubYT.WalkForLiberty.com click to subscribe to our YouTube channel / Walking through a snowstorm / Forced closing of a dump station? / Icy windshield *** About the Walk For Liberty What are you willing to do for freedom? Vote? Protest? Participate in a rally? Walk all the way across the country? We are. This summer, a group of activists will be walking across America to achieve more freedom and liberty. Our pioneer forefathers trekked across the continent from the east to the west to find a better life for themselves. This time, we're doing it in reverse. I am walking coast-to-coast across the country, from Oregon to New Hampshire. I am joined by my immediate family as well. We're on a quest to gain more freedom for ourselves and for our country by spreading the message of freedom and liberty along the way. Why are we doing this? We see the gradual chipping away at freedoms in America, and want to do our part to stop it. My wife and I are moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project. New Hampshire is already the freest state in the country, which is why we are moving there. But we also want to help bring more freedom to as many other people as possible. Therefore we are walking across America to get to New Hampshire. We are walking all the way there to bring as much media attention and publicity as possible to two liberty-oriented causes: the Free State Project, which is working to make New Hampshire even more free, and Ron Paul's message of freedom for everyone. To learn more about the Free State Project, visit http://FreeStateProject.org To learn more about Ron Paul, visit http://CampaignForLiberty.com *** Follow Our Progress Read my blog at http://WillBuchanan.com/blog to learn more about the latest in our preparations for the Walk For Liberty and our progress and adventures during it. You may also subscribe to it at http://WillBuchanan.com/blog/feed *** How you can help Please visit http://WalkForLiberty.com/help-out if you'd like to help the Walk For Liberty achieve more freedom for everyone. *** Donate Would you consider donating $3 to help support the Walk For Liberty? Even the price of a cup of coffee will go a long way to helping pay for our mission to promote liberty. No donation is too small! Visit http://Donate.WalkForLiberty.com ____________________ *** Please Check Out As Well http://LibertyActivism.info is a repository for all things related to liberty activism. Topics there include personal experiences, techniques, examples, propaganda, and how-tos. It is a portal for seasoned liberty activists, as well as a tutorial for budding activists. Please, make an account and contribute. *** Those in the media who should consider our story John Stossel John Stossel is a consumer reporter, investigative journalist, author, libertarian columnist, and co-anchor for the ABC News show 20/20. Watch this video in which John Stossel interviews the then president of the Free State Project, Varrin Swearingen and the founder of the Free State Project, Jason Sorens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F25lkOUkzsk Drew Carey Drew Carey currently hosts a series of mini-documentaries called The Drew Carey Project on Reason.tv, a new online project of the Reason Foundation. Ted Balaker Ted Balaker is a producer for the Drew Carey Project at reason.tv, and a policy analyst at Reason Foundation. His reason.tv contributions have addressed topics such as drug and education policy, gambling, traffic congestion, and eminent domain. http://Reason.org/balaker.shtml
Author: WalkForLiberty
Keywords: Free State Project FreeStateProject.org End US Federal Government Freedom Walk For Liberty Across USA America Country New Hampshire NH Ron Paul Campaign Revolution Grassroots Will Buchanan McSame McCain Bush Democrats Republicans Liberals Conservatives Major Parties Civil Liberties Anti-war Patriot Act Iraq War Fiscal Social Security Medicare Personal Seat Belt Law Drug Big Govt Status Quo Smaller Repeal Existing Business Regulations Department Education Troops Home Politicians Congress
Added: December 21, 2008