The Great Experiment

The date was January 16, 1919, and the Eighteenth Amendment had just become a reality.

Prohibition -- the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution -- legally banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors. Often referred to as "The Great Experiment," it had its roots in the previous century, championed by the Anti-Saloon League (an Ohio organization founded in 1893). The League had their work cut out for them: in 1909, there was one saloon for every three hundred Americans. There were more saloons than schools, libraries, hospitals, theaters, parks, or churches. (Location was a factor, however; the city of Chicago had more saloons than the entirety of the South.) Interestingly enough, the Anti-Saloon League consisted of members who, generally speaking, favored progressive politics such as votes for women, an end to monopolies, better working conditions, and immigration aid.

Before Prohibition, there was the Webb-Kenyon Act, which was passed in February 1913. Overriding a veto from President Taft, the law regulated the transportation of liquor from "wet states" to "dry states" (that is, no transporting liquor from the states that sold it to the states that did not). Four years later, Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; by January 1919, forty-six of the forty-eight states had ratified the amendment (Rhode Island and Connecticut being the two hold-outs). Despite ratification, however, many states failed to actually adopt state Prohibition, including Pennsylvania (as well as California, Illinois, New York, and others).

From the beginning, Prohibition had its work cut out. Many large cities outright rejected state or municipal liquor bans. The states where Prohibition proved unpopular often decided that the federal law was a federal matter, and so left the law's enforcement to the federal government. And while Prohibition did not prove costly (about a quarter of what states were spending on their parks department), it had the side effect of cutting funding in its own way -- in 1914, before the Amendment had been passed, one-third of the federal government's revenue came from liquor licenses and taxes on domestic liquor sales.

Then, too, were other (unexpected) side effects. Bootlegging, the illegal manufacturing and selling of liquor, became a booming business. As it was also an illegal business, it was organized crime who benefited from bootlegging the most; it's estimated that Chicago's Al Capone earned $60 million a year alone, thanks to the bootlegging operations and speakeasies he controlled. Those living in large cities were generally the most vehement protestors of Prohibition, and law enforcement and politicians alike were bribed there to look the other way. Once the Great Depression took hold, the popularity of Prohibition slipped even further. When Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for presidential office in 1932, his campaign included the repealing of the 18th Amendment. (Roosevelt won the election).

Ultimately, Prohibition was reversed with the 21st Amendment, proposed and enacted in 1933. The Great Experiment was at an end.

More on the History of Prohibition:

-- The 18th and 21st Amendments - Complete with scans of the original amendment, newspaper articles, and more.

-- Prohibition: Facts and Summary - From the History Channel.


From the Catalog:

-- Last Call: The Rise And Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent.

-- The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet by Garrett Peck.

-- Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal. For YA readers.

-- Prohibition: A Ken Burns Documentary [DVD]


Other Reads (from the Catalog):

-- Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol by Iain Gately.

-- Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnston.

-- Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp



-- Post by Ms. B 

Vote!

With the Republican National Convention wrapping up, and the Democratic National Convention starting up next week, politics -- for better or worse -- are in the air. 

We live in a time of an undeniably heated political atmosphere, true. But this is hardly the first century when campaigns and elections have taken some weird turns:

-- The election of 1800, between John Adams of the Federalists and Thomas Jefferson of the Republicans, did not only prove to be a milestone in American history. It also changed forever the deep friendship that had once existed between these two Founding Fathers. From threats of civil war to a secretive deal that gave Jefferson the presidency, this election was a truly historical -- and epic -- moment. (Read more about it in Adams Vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800.)

-- The very first presidential convention was held in 1831, by the Anti-Masonic Party. (That particular political party can be best remembered for trying to enlist Henry Clay to their cause -- even though Clay was actually a Freemason.)

-- Chicago bar proprietor William Sianis placed a sign in his Billy Goat Tavern reading, "No Republications Allowed" -- just in time for the 1944 Republican National Convention. Republicans came to the bar in droves ... and Sianis turned a tidy profit.

-- The last time a political convention actually seemed to have something at stake?  1976, when Ronald Reagan battled Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination in the country's last political floor fight to date. 

Read some more fun facts about past (and present) Presidential Conventions here. Then check out some important links below -- and please, remember to vote this fall!

Voting in Pennsylvania

- Pennsylvania Voter Registration Application -- Not registered to vote?  Print out the form and mail it in today!  (Deadline to register to vote in the upcoming general election is October 9th.)

- Votes PA -- A state website devoted to meeting the voting needs of Pennsylvania residents. Find your local poling place, check what you need to bring on Election Day, and even find out how to register to vote. Check it out!

- Pennsylvania Voter ID Law -- What you need to know.

- Be Prepared for November 6th -- PA's voting laws have changed. Follow this easy checklist to find out exactly what you need to bring. (Don't have a photo ID?  This link will tell you how to get a FREE photo ID through PennDOT!)

- MPL Hot Topic: Voter ID Laws -- Should voters be required to show photo ID before marking their ballots?  Check out the facts and opinions in our Hot Topic.

- Maps of the 2008 US Presidential Election Results -- Traditional maps can result in skewed perceptions of real statistics. So check out these "cartograms," maps rescaled to reflect population over land area. 

-- Post by Ms. B