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Expert: Hank Hokamp - 3/9/2009


Question
what were preachers views on prohibition in the 1920's


Answer

HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY FRI

  Hello, Caleb:

  The Prohibitionists got an unexpected boost from a strange quarter: disease. The influenza epidemic of 1918 killed 20 million people worldwide. This was more than twice the number of people killed worldwide during the four years of World War I; 548,000 died of the flu in the United States, the equivalent today of 1,500,000 people dying in a single year. Guess what the preachers blamed for this disaster? Sin, of course. God was punishing a wicked nation for straying from the path of righteousness. Only a great moral crusade could save the nation. Alcohol, as usual, was high on the hit list.

  If the evangelicals had simply tempered their intemperance, they might have, over time, gotten more of what they wanted. By 1920, thirty-three states encompassing 63% of the country had already voted themselves dry. The Prohibitionists probably could have closed every saloon outside big cities and, by continuing to control the curriculum in the schools, might have created generation upon generation of teetotalers and moderate drinkers. If they had allowed people their mail-order hooch, beer, and wine, the Prohibitionists would have come closer to controlling alcohol use. But they got greedy.

   As with all reformers who are aiming for "the perfection of mankind," one success is only the foundation for another campaign designed to perfect humans even further. That success leads to yet another campaign, and a series of unbroken successes leads inevitably to excess. Prohibition was one such excess. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified by the necessary number of states on January 29, 1919; and, on January 29, 1920, Prohibition became the law of the land. The final turn of the screw came with the Volstead Act.

    Hope this helps, Caleb.

                                               HANK  

Hank Hokamp

Expertise

American History in general. History has been a hobby of mine for umpteen years. Colonial History is what I like the best! I seem to have this "savior complex" due to which I seem to be automatically attracted to people who need my help on a daily basis. Since we are the only critters on the planet, how about joining me? Pleasure and satisfaction are your rewards.

Experience

AskMe.com (No longer in operation!) and Answerway.com. My education (below). Over 9 years on AllExperts.

Education/Credentials
U. of Illinois Westminster College U. of Arkansas (Graduated with a BSJ in Journalism) Southern Career Institute - Paralegal Certificate

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