Roots of Prohibition

By 1913, more states would pass laws restricting liquor, thanks to the efforts of the Anti-Saloon League and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Brewers and distillers suffered, but many believed a national ban on alcohol was unlikely because the government relied on taxes from alcohol. The 16th amendment, authorizing the federal government to impose an income tax on citizens, would change everything.  Students will: Identify and analyze different viewpoints on immigration and alcohol Discuss Americans’ concerns over immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and identify how these concerns became linked with the use of alcohol.

After the Civil War ended, hundreds of thousands of immigrants poured into America's growing cities. Tensions emerged between immigrants and native-born Americans, who believed they knew how Americans should behave. Temperance movements began to grow. Learning Objective Students will: Identify and analyze different viewpoints on immigration and alcohol Discuss Americans’ concerns over immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and identify how these concerns became linked with the use of alcohol.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the country's population grew more than 10 times, as millions of immigrants crowded into cities and transformed America into an industrial powerhouse. Students will: Identify and analyze different viewpoints on immigration and alcohol   Discuss Americans’ concerns over immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and identify how these concerns became linked with the use of alcohol.

From 1920-1933, the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution ruled the land. It prohibited the making, transportation, and sale of alcohol. The amendment grew out of what was viewed as the pervasive alcohol abuse, especially among men and immigrant populations, of the 19th century. For nearly 100 years, activists and social reformers fought to improve the lives of all Americans, expand the rights of women, and protect children. These reformers supported the 18th amendment as a means to social reform.  Learning Objective Students will understand and analyze how the Temperance movement began and progressed toward a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Neal Dow was the wealthy Mayor of Portland, Maine. In 1851, he demanded the state legislature ban the sale of alcohol.

On December 10, 1913, Washington, DC citizens saw their first mass march. The protesters were there to demand a Prohibition Amendment.

In 1873, Eliza Jane Thompson, the wife of an Ohio judge who had lost her eldest son to alcoholism, led a women's protest of saloons in Hillsboro, Ohio, by praying in front of them. The temperance movement would spread from town to town.

During the 1800s, with the rise of whiskey and other hard liquors, alcoholism became a big problem in America.

Beer and whiskey were not the only attraction to saloons for men. These establishments also served as a haven of manhood. Most cities had a designated district for saloons.