As I read this book it became apparent immediately that drinking really was an American pastime. Alcohol was ever present in the individuals and the family’s daily rituals, fully embedded in everyday life. Strong spirits were believed to have profound effects that were beneficial to the individual on many levels. It also held specific social connotations; having a presence in schools, courtrooms (which I find to be really odd) and ultimately having influence on judgment, fairness and objectivity. The reason given or used to validate and promote this behavior was alcohols ability to focus the mind on the business at hand.
Alcohol was used interchangeably with money early on. Fines were made in the form of whiskey and individuals were often paid in the form of Whiskey also, especially in the early days of our country. One quarter of an individual’s income was spent on the purchase of alcohol and to fuel the fires of consumption it was believed that alcohol was medicinal in a cornucopia of ways this concept dating back to the ancient Greeks. Yet the life sustaining fluid water was seen to have no value for consumption and was considered to be the drink of pigs and cows and horses, this is attributed to the fact that the water sources were not healthy. Yet this is the one fluid we cannot live without a very ironic note on the beliefs of the individual of the time and the social precedent which can be set with a collective perspective.
The clergy drank believing drunkenness equaled divine visitation and settlers who were steeped in insecurity and fear of the unknown used it to cope and the Native Americans eventually began using alcohol in many of the same ways. Whiskey brought a boon of economic benefits garnering more profit than the raw products of the fields. It was easy to transport, easy to store and it had a longer “shelf life” than other products which could be affected by moisture and exposure over time.
The Essay on Alcohol Abuse Life Drinking Friends
No More Lies Reaction Paper Alcohol abuse has been an issue in my life for quite some time now. I had my first "taste" at the age of fifteen, and from that moment on I was hooked. My father is an alcoholic, as was his father, and I was apparently unfortunate enough to be born with that same gene that quite possibly led to their self-destructive, difficult to break, habit. It took five years of ...
Then there was the Whiskey Rebellion, which was important for many reasons. The Whiskey Rebellion was a clash between federal authorities and farmers on the western frontier in 1794. The Whiskey Rebellion was a protest movement against what the rebels saw as the heavy-handed policies of the federal government, particularly with regard to taxation. The rebellion was significant not because of the fighting, for there was none, but rather because it demonstrated the strength of the federal government and its ability to thwart outbreaks of anarchy.
The Whiskey Rebellion was a product of the Whiskey Act of 1791, which levied an excise tax on distilled spirits. The tax was the brainchild of Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s secretary of the treasury, who urged implementation of the tax as a way of centralizing and funding the national debt. In the western regions of the country—at the time, western Pennsylvania—many farmers bitterly resented the tax.
The tariffs effectively eliminated any profit by the farmers from the sale or barter of an important cash crop, and became the lightning rod for a wide variety of grievances by the settlers of the region against the federal government. While citizens in the east did not find it difficult to abide by the concept that individual states were subservient to the country, people west of the mountains were less accepting of decisions made by the central government.
The rebel farmers continued their attacks, rioting in river towns and roughing up tax collectors until the so-called “insurrection” flared into the open in July of 1794 when a federal marshal was attacked in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Almost at the same time several hundred men attacked the residence of the regional inspector, burning his home, barn and several outbuildings. Pittsburgh was another scene of disorder by enraged mobs.
On August 7, 1794, President Washington issued a proclamation, calling out the militia and ordering the disaffected westerners to return to their homes. Washington’s order mobilized an army of approximately 13,000, as large as the one that had defeated the British, under the command of General Harry Lee, the then-Governor of Virginia and father of Robert E. Lee. Washington himself, in a show of presidential authority, set out at the head of the troops to suppress the uprising.
The Essay on Federal Government 3
What powers are extended to the federal government? Explain in detail. The powers extended to the federal government are collecting taxes, regulate interstate commerce, making of coin money, regulate currency, set standards of weights and measure, declare war, and Raise and maintain an army and navy. They also have implied powers based on the elastic clause (Art. I, § 8, cl. 5), powers considered ...
This was the first use of the Militia Law of 1792 setting a precedent for the use of the militia to “execute the laws of the union, (and) suppress insurrections,” asserting the right of the national government to enforce order in one state with troops raised in other states. Even more importantly, it was the first test of power of the new federal government, establishing its primacy in disputes with individual states. In the end, a dozen or so men were arrested, sent to Philadelphia to trial and released after pardons by Washington.
After the Whiskey Rebellion we see the tides turn and fines are levied for public drunkenness and there is excommunication from the church and public humiliation for the drunkard. There was an attempt to separate the societal view of the drink and the drunkard. The latter being considered to be a product of the devil. General James Oglethorpe would in some ways (in this readers view) be considered the first prohibitionist on many levels. He was considered to be a man of “powerful moral sense” and once elected to parliament began a campaign to restrict the use of alcoholic beverages. He also helped bring about prison reforms in Britain and in the process of doing so he brought a band of prisoners form Britain to the new world and formed the colony of Georgia in attempt to demonstrate the ability of “miscreants” to reform their lives. So for this reader Oglethorpe embodies the conception of ideas such as prison reform and second chances or the concept of rehabilitation. Bu in his fervor to prove a point he made the mistake of giving the families molasses and inevitably they began to use it for the production of rum. His new colony became the largest producer of rum in the New World. Early attempts at prohibition failed in Georgia.
In 1772 Benjamin Rush the Surgeon General started looking at the medical effects of alcohol on the body and the mind. But postulations about the effects were founded n incorrect medical assumptions. These negatives; DT’s, shakes, paranoid hallucinations, however did not discourage the use of alcohol.
The Term Paper on Prohibition Alcohol Temperance Canada
... temperance movement began to strengthen as numbers increased through groups such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union or Alberta's Temperance and Moral Reform Society. ... hardships for women and children" were the gravest and harshest consequences of alcohol. They also saw alcohol as a ... and promote obedience to the laws of the province... promote by educating temperance... encourage high ideals of ...
Around this time in Moreau, NY the Union Temperance Society was being formed. The temperance society bears many resemblances to the institution we know today as Alcoholics Anonymous. The temperance movement began the daunting task of trying to reshape societal norms and remaking the concepts of the socially acceptable man.
In 1826 the American Temperance Society began taking shape and incorporated God into its framework. Individual initiative did not work as a whole for one man’s resolute is different from another’s. The temperance society preached temperate use of alcohol that is to say it was okay to drink as long as it was done in moderation. This approach was built around the concept of the use of a bad thing versus the abuse of a very good thing (which is what alcohol was considered to be).
Abstinence versus temperance was essentially a way to sell the concept with words. The temperance movement boomed. Standards, laws and mores are born out of the necessity for safety, protection of the citizen and society and the temperance movement was firmly grounded in this belief. Even in early history the over use of alcohol produced a rise in crime, ruined property, alienated friends of the drunkard and inflicted harm on the drinker and those around him and the abuse of alcohol still produces these effects on society and the individual today.
The fact that alcohol was used as a weapon to undermine the Native American culture is a clear indicator that those in power had a clear understanding of the range of negative effects alcohol could produce when used with abandon. It was conquest by alcohol.
Shortly thereafter the clergy became involved in the temperance movement and so it would seem we see the birth of the evangelist. There appeared to be some sort of religious awakening which fueled the revivalist movement in the country. Politics and religion became entwined in each other and the views of the temperance movement were wrapped in the flag; God and country became the foundation on which the concepts of temperance were built. We began to see laws being written on alcohol consumption and this is a clear demonstration of how societal change and views on society help to direct politics and policies. This is still the case to a certain extent today.
The Essay on Role and Functions of Law and Society
Ages ago, our forefather created a structure for rules of conduct called laws. Law helps to enforce and maintain ethical standards and civil obedience. In business and society the rules of conduct are essential to preserving order and harmony. The complexities of the law can be somewhat mind boggling when in fact the intent is to simplify discord. Nonetheless, its role and function in business and ...
But the laws in the mid 1800’s did not serve well to control the use and/or abuse of alcohol. In his ardent chase to imbibe the drinker simply became more creative in finding ways to skirt the laws. And just as today many joined temperance organizations at the behest of some other person or entity (treatment arena).
The war had a profound influence on the temperance movement due to the medicinal use of alcohol to treat wounds and as a sedative to cope with the atrocities of war. The Union decided to tax liquor sales to help pay for the war generating new tax revenues and monies form licensing fees.
The liquor industry became an important part of the economy for the very first time. The argument against prohibition in the future would be grounded in the idea that it would produce an enormous loss of revenue for the government thus helping to secure it future in the face of anti-alcohol sentiments.
The Women’s movement followed at a vicious pace. The use of passive aggressive behaviors to influence the masses became a tool of the women’s movement in the beginning. Yet at the same time a fraction of women were becoming closet drinkers. Women endured many abuses in the crusade against alcohol but there was an apparent respect for the “wife” or “mother” figure as they seemingly had a huge impact using the tools of presence and prayer. Children were also employed in the crusade.
Although they had a profound impact initially the effects of their crusade were short term. The tools being employed at this time also included intimidation, legislation and public humiliation. In 1879 Dr. L Keeley declared drunkenness is a disease. Dr. Keeley had apparently found a “cure” for drunkenness and the content of that cure appears to remain a mystery but as far as I can tell by reading it seems to bear some resemblance to aversion therapy. With all of these attempts and an abundance of what appears to be small victories human nature seemed to be the one element that could not be conquered by their attempts at temperance. The concept which we would later coin as “relapse” has apparently been a huge factor in the average individual’s ability to abstain since the very beginning.
The Term Paper on Law and Prohibition in the 1920s in America
I have always taken an interest in the Roaring Twenties and that is why I decided to write my English term paper on an event that occurred in the 1920s. What follows is my term paper which concentrates on prohibition and why it was not effective, namely because of lack of enforcement, growth of crime, and the increase in the drinking rate. I hope this may be of some help to you.“Prohibition did ...
Hence the idea of “prevention” was born out of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union which turned its attention to the children and used the schools as a vehicle to “teach” about the vile effects of alcohol at the behest of Frances Willard. This would be equivalent to our modern day DARE programs. The actions of the WCTU initialized the production of legislation in states to make alcohol education a part of the schools mandatory curriculum taking preventative measures to a higher level of importance and presence. Education is an important part of prevention and treatment programs to this day. The WCTU is touted in the book as being a small group of volunteers operating on a shoestring budget very efficiently and this again is reminisce of the AA organization we know today.
Suffrage was the next advance or tool to be employed in the fight against alcohol. Women used the suffrage movement as a platform to defeat alcohol via the voting process. Enter Carry Nation to the stage of anti-alcohol sentiment. She was a product of an alcoholic father and a mother who was mentally ill but she became on e of the country’s most zealous and well known reformers of her time and in subsequent history. Carry Nation became a vigilante in the crusade against alcohol and she drew attention like a celebrity. She started out using prayer and music to battle those who would break the laws in dry states and those who would imbibe in states where alcohol consumption and sales were still legal. As time went on she became more voracious in her appetite to incite change and employed much more destructive ways to get her message across the most famous of which was her employment of an axe to destroy property and instill “respect” for the laws.
However the tides turned on Carry Nation and the effects of her crusades were short lived having a unitary effect on patrons and owners alike in the end; united in their distaste not only of her but of her tactics as well. Carry Nations motives changed over time and were no longer founded in the good of the movement and its purpose but instead in maintaining her celebrity and securing her place in the public eye. Once again human nature precedes good intent. At the end of her life and her career in the temperance movement she had become a has been of sorts.
The Essay on California Case Law On Mediation Issues Is In Flux A
California case law on Mediation issues is in flux. A statute has been enacted in California mandating mediation of common disputes. Since January 1, 1998 in several California law codes were amended. They define mediation and govern mediation in the fields of civil actions, insurance, the environment, family, labor-management, community, agency actions, etc. California law protects the ...
Nation opened a home for women and as far as I can see it was the first conceptualization of our modern day women’s shelters. Despite her fame in the moment of the temperance movement she died in relative obscurity.
At this point in the history of the temperance movement the men took over again. Saloons in spite of the fact that they were social centers were viewed as disdainfully inappropriate in environment and influence. The country saw the birth of the Anti-Saloon League. For all intents and purposes this league appears to be one of the first forms of what we now know as “lobbyists” having a great deal of influence over law making policies and funds for political campaigns. In 1913 the Webb-Kenyon act banned transport of liquor across the boundaries of dry states. Money became a very important component of directing votes. Where political funds came from determined the votes. There was a bit of hypocrisy built into the way things were now being done. As politicians didn’t necessarily have to abstain to support the movement in other words they need not be dry just vote dry.
By the time Wayne Wheeler was lured into the temperance movement the focus was fully on political arena. Campaign funds were being used to align and influence politicians. Wheeler rose quickly to a position of power mainly through the procurement of “minority” votes. By focusing on the minority who fell in line with the temperance ideals he rallied them to become a strong presence in the voting arena. By the early 1900’s industry captains were getting involved and finding their place in the movement towards abstinence. New rules were being created which surrounded a man’s ability to drink and work. The work place became the new target for abstinence. This move was time consuming and expensive at first for factory owners who now felt the need for legislative backing to enforce laws and rules around the drinking issues in the work place. With the instatement of workers compensation laws the stakes were being raised against the laborer towards an abstinent environment at work.
With the onset of WWI congress was passing the Food Control Bill which primarily consisted of parameters for putting restrictions on the use of certain staple goods; grains and sugar precisely. But restricting food to rationed portions and prohibiting the manufacture of alcoholic beverages were on opposite ends of the pole with regards to the beneficial results which could e produced by either move. Restricting or prohibiting the manufacture of alcoholic substances could severely impact the government’s revenues which would in turn be used to fund the war efforts.
The government, nevertheless, eventually shut down distilleries and breweries but the laws surrounding the prohibition were not fully enacted until after the war ended. But again the laws were not obeyed and in some cases not even recognized by men. They found the laws to be a major inconvenience and simply became more adept at finding ways to get their drink in spite of the laws. Anti-German sentiment also fueled this new period of prohibition as most breweries were owned by men of German descent.
A series of events to follow in the ensuing years help lend credence to the Anti Saloon Leagues efforts to bring about prohibition. There were unethical behaviors from the League and they employed tactics of deceit and utilized the press to publish letters and statements which would highlight the bribery and other unscrupulous behaviors being employed by the liquor industry. Then the American Medical Association voiced its opposition to the use of alcohol but all of these tactics and facts bore no direct influence on society’s attitude towards alcohol. Doctors continued to imbibe themselves and to prescribe alcohol to their patients. High profile athletes started chiming in on the issue and as the book states these seem to be the earliest form of “celebrity endorsements” for or against any public issue.
The book at this point goes on to talk about the geographical prejudice and its role in the movement. This lends itself to the idea of divide and conquer. It would appear for all intents and purposes that the parameters of prejudice came in to play in a very significant way, not only dividing the city dwellers from the country dwellers but the immigrants who mostly inhabited the cities and the “Americans” who now were firmly established in the country and consisted of a farming populace. The immigrant life centered in the cities was one which was full of disillusionment and disappointment and although both lifestyles were fraught with challenges and struggle the country population seemed to better be able to embrace the perceived ideal of the American dream. The views held by the country dwellers inevitably led them to vote against alcoholic beverages. The anti-black attitudes and the efforts to preserve slavery also had a profound influence on the attitudes towards the control of alcohol.
By 1916 legislation had passed prohibiting the buying and selling of alcohol. It did not however prohibit the drinking of or the production of alcohol.
Across the stage of change we see an evolving process and it is aptly stated in chapter 7. “It had been a slow and painstaking process……one person persuaded at a time, one convert preaching to a friend, one vote purchased here and the next vote there, one local law passed and then another and another, one corporate head changing his min and then another and another, one set of prejudices played upon and one set of sympathies evoked. What remained then was not for minds to be changed, but for the changing of minds to be formalized and then acknowledged by one and all in official form”.
The ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution–which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors–ushered in a period in American history known as Prohibition. Prohibition was difficult to enforce, despite the passage of companion legislation known as the Volstead Act. The country seemingly embraced the false notion that the new laws would change the face of society in significant ways and in reality it did on some level. It should have if nothing else been a lesson in the naivety of our belief systems particularly surrounding the law. The prohibition laws served not only to bring an end to the commercial production and sale of alcohol but it unintentionally fortified the resourcefulness and the resolve of those who were not in line with the new laws fostering an era of disregard and creativity focused on the pursuit of alcohol production. Prohibition also redefined the act of drinking moving it from a public or “social” activity morphing it into a personal activity within a social context. The increase of the illegal production and sale of liquor (known as “bootlegging”), the proliferation of speakeasies (illegal drinking spots) and the accompanying rise in gang violence and other crimes led to waning support for Prohibition by the end of the 1920s. During the era of the “speakeasy” alcohol gained a new status and the glamorization of the “lifestyle” was fully born. Even the “criminal” more often than not the bootlegger who supplied the alcohol gained a sort of notoriety which was equal to celebrity status. The underground economy grew thanks in part to highly unlikely group of entrepreneurs.
Additionally the mere act of prohibition helped to usher in a climate of reckless abandon and risk taking which belied any former activities which had been deemed illegal in America. The risks involved to the health of the consumer were punctuated by a number of physical maladies and premature death. Risk taking to the point of disregard for ones own personal safety is a hallmark of abuse or addiction. In early 1933, Congress adopted a resolution proposing a 21st Amendment to the Constitution that would repeal the 18th. It was ratified by the end of that year, bringing the Prohibition era to a close.
Conclusion
In the process of absorbing all of the information presented in these chapters one can not help but reflect on the fact that many of the issues surrounding alcohol and its place not only in history but in the societal framework that is America bear a significant amount of similarities to today’s issues. Alcohol and its use/misuse along with the beliefs surrounding its benefits have been historically present since this county’s inception. It has had a presence in our families, religious organizations and our political systems which has been significant and has fueled debate on either side of the personal opinions/perspectives held by individual members of society and has had an impact on our economic systems as well.
In the debates over alcohol and its use within our societal framework several things are fairly evident the first of them being that social views and perspectives have the power to dictate public policy and legislation. As attitudes towards a specific subject of debate change over time so do our laws and policies surrounding said issues. We have seen this in the past in the arena of human rights with the issue of equality for blacks and today in the issues of gay rights. Today just as in the past if we (the population) as a whole move towards a specific belief surrounding issues of public interest we have the power to steer legislation if we demand it. When something is deemed to be harmful to us as a population we attempt to control it via legal avenues, we look to our government to step in and “officially “ reinforce or ideas and ideals as is the case with gun control today.
Today we embrace the concepts of harm reduction and preventive measures to help control and manage the issues of use, misuse and abuse of substances within our population. These concepts were evident to me in the Temperance Unions efforts to employ education in the school (a preventative measure) and in preaching moderation to the drinking populace. Parallels can also be drawn between the rise of crime and legal availability of specific substances. The crime rate rose significantly during the era of prohibition with most criminal activity being centered on the manufacture and distribution of alcohol. Where there is a will there is a way. Those who held an interest in disregarding the laws did just that and created an underground industry which had an impact not only on society but on our economy as well.
The organizations of the temperance movement for me represented the early models for our current organizations such as AA and NA. These were small organizations that operated on moderate budgets and reached out to large audiences one small group at a time. It was and is a highly effective way to reach their target audience. But the similarities seem to end there as the Temperance movement was full of zealots and mired in hypocrisy.
