-
Period: to
Lyman Beecher, Creator of the American Temperance Society, Preeches Against the Consumption of Alcohol
Lyman Beecher created the American Temperance Society in 1824. The organization held conventions where Beecher gave speeches with heavy-handed warnings about alcohol, including topics such as hell. Then, in 1826, Breecher started giving sermons in church about intemperance for six straight weeks, stating things such as, "No sin has fewer apologies than intemperance." -
Roots of Prohibition
By 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed around seven gallons of alcohol a year, nearly three times as much as the average American drinks today. The alcohol abuse wreaked havoc on many people's lives, especially when women had very few rights and were completely dependent on their husbands for income and many other aspects of their everyday lives. -
Creation of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Inspired by the rising number of distraught wives and mothers whose lives had been ruined by excessive alcohol consumption, thousands of women began to come together to protest and organize political movements for temperance. Their newly formed Union was called the Women's Christian Temperance Union. This Union was a force to be reckoned with, as many famous women, such as Susan B. Anthony, joined their cause. -
Creation of the Anti-Saloon League
The Anti-Saloon League, formed in 1893, aimed to achieve prohibition by unifying the public's anti-alcohol view, enforcing already existing temperance laws, and creating further legislation about anti-alcohol. -
Period: to
Ruthless Leadership in the Anti-Saloon League Leads to Partnerships With Many Other Orginizations
Wayne Wheeler, the leader of the Anti-Saloon League, was a ruthless chairman, leading the league to become the most successful single-issue lobbying organization in American history. He was willing to form alliances with any organizations that shared the same goal of creating a constitutional amendment banning the manufacturing of alcohol. The alliances included the Democrats and Republicans, the Progressives, the Klu Klux Klan, and many more. -
Ratification of the 16th Amendment
The ratification of the 16th Amendment meant that the government was no longer dependent on liquor taxes to fund its operations, as the government could now tax people's incomes. This allowed the Anti-Saloon League to run full force towards creating an amendment that banned the manufacturing and sales of alcohol. -
America Joins World War I
On April 6th, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson announced that America would join World War I. Anti-German fever rose among many Americans, and the Anti-Saloon League created propaganda effectively connecting beer and brewers with Germans and treason in the public mind. -
Proposal and Passing of the 18th Amendment Through Congress
On December 18th of 1917, Congress proposed the 18th Amendment. This amendment prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. Many politicians did not dare to defy the Anti-Saloon League, and the amendment flew through both houses of Congress. -
Three-Fourths of All States Ratify the 18th Amendment
On January 16th, 1919, three-fourths of all states ratified the 18th Amendment, passing it within 13 months of it being proposed to Congress. The amendment went into effect with the Volstead Act. This act enforced the 18th Amendment. -
Bootlegging Begins
After the 18th Amendment went into effect, bootlegging, the illegal production and sale of alcohol, became widespread. Many Americans still received alcohol through bootlegging, but the numbers of the consumption of alcohol did go down compared to the years before. People such as Al Capone rose to power in the newly illegal industry. -
The Great Depression Starts
In 1929, America went into the great depression with a historic stock market day called "Black Thursday." 16 million shares of stock were quickly sold by panicking investors who had lost faith in the American economy. Many other factors played large roles in the Great Depression. The government was desperate for a way out of the depression. -
The 21st Amendment is Proposed and Ratified
The government realized how hard it was to regulate and enforce the 18th Amendment. Even though alcohol rates did decrease, things such as organized crime increased. The government was looking for a way out of the depression. Alcohol sales would create jobs and could be taxed, increasing government funds. Nine months after being proposed to Congress, three-fourths of all states ratified the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th Amendment. This was the first and only amendment to be repealed.