Thirsting After Righteousness: What We Did and Didn't Learn From Prohibition
Presented by Dr. David Kyvig
November 13, 2001, 7:30pm
Staff Lounge, Founders Memorial Library (Lower Level)
Booze
historian? This tongue-in-cheek, self-defined occupation was provided
by David Kyvig, speaker for the second program in the Friends of NIU Libraries
program series for 2001/2002. Dr. Kyvig came to NIU two years ago as senior
American historian from the University of Akron. His is an expert and
advocate for local history, and is author of four recent books: Repealing
National Prohibition, 2nd edition (Kent State University Press, 2000),
Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You (AltaMira Press,
2000), Unintended Consequences of Constitutional Amendment (University
of Georgia Press, 2000), and Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1939 (Greenwood Press, 2002). Dr. Kyvig spoke on the topic, "Thirsting
After Righteousness: What We Did and Didn't Learn from Prohibition."
The 18th Amendment to
the U. S. Constitution became effective in 1919, being ratified by Congress
and forty five state legislatures. It was the first amendment directed
at policing social behavior, and its precedent of control of alcohol set
the United States apart from other industrialized nations. Support for
the 18th Amendment grew from the temperance crusade and received widespread
acceptance and compliance. The strictest standards were adopted and alcohol
above one-half of one percent of content was outlawed. Why a Constitutional
amendment? Prior history of had had laws prohibiting alcohol in a dozen
states, but all went by the wayside during the Civil War. The state law
approach was risky and ineffective. By the 1910's, there was a growing
consensus for a national solution. People felt that if Prohibition was
in the Constitution, it would be here to stay.
Looking back, Prohibition
is popularly viewed as being ineffective. Dr. Kyvig addressed how this
perception came to be, why it prevails, and why it's inaccurate. History
is based on memory, myth and academic historical method. Memory is based
on remembrance, myth characterizes the past, and academic historical method
weighs all evidence which leads to revision. Contrary to the popular view
of Prohibition as ineffective, a whole generation learned to do with less
or no alcohol. It was not until the 1970's that alcohol returned to pre-Prohibition
consumption levels. Clearly some significant drinking occurred during
the 1920's, but Prohibition effectively reduced drinking.
The popular view of Prohibition
is based on myth and memory. Myth developed largely through media forms,
such as tabloids, magazines, and movies. There was and still is a public
fascination with bootleggers, for example, the movies, Little Caesar (1930)
and The Untouchables (1987). Frederick Lewis Allen's popular standard
text, Only Yesterday: an informal history of the 1920's, reinforces
the myth. Originally published in 1931, it is not only still in print
but also available in audio and electronic formats.
For Prohibition to be
adopted, a lot of things had to come together, and likewise, to repeal
Prohibition a lot of things had to come together. Two-thirds of the vote
of Congress and the states were required to repeal an Amendment. The early
1930's was a period of progressive reform and high immigration. With immigration
came new sentiments for alcohol consumption. As a result, the 21st Amendment
repealing Prohibition became effective in 1933.
With public convictions
rooted to the myth and memory of Prohibition, negative consequences have
resulted. Following repeal, the perception developed that little could
be done to control drinking, that it was an individual choice. It was
not until Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) promoted the consequences
of drinking and driving that more controls on drinking became a public
policy issue. Within a wider range of public policy issues, the second
edition of Dr. Kyvig's book, Repealing National Prohibition, has
found an audience in advocates in the war on drugs who are using the book's
premise to pursue their agenda. What will the outcome of this be? Dr.
Kyvig could only state the historian's refrain, "It's too early to
tell."
-- Byron Anderson
For more information, please call (815) 753-9838 or e-mail libraryfriend@niu.edu.
Last Updated: August 22, 2007