Topic Exploration Post: Prohibition

1.            

·             The protest movement to be investigated is the response to Prohibition in the 1920s.

·             Chronological: Starting from Temperance Movement (1820s – although, only brief introduction to start of history) from 1933. Mostly 1920s to 1933.

·             Legislative: Politics during Progressive Era and up until 21^st Amendment (1933).

·             Geographical: United States – especially, urban areas where most affected.

·             Ethical: Pro-Prohibition (Temperance movements) vs. Anti-Prohibition groups

  

2.           Protests in response to Prohibition were in large, a reminder of American society during the 1920s and an influential event during the Progressive Era – a time of socio-political reform concerning corruptness and bribery within the U.S. government. The identities framed by this protest are two groups – those for Prohibition and those who were not. Alcohol had a great influence on prisons, underhanded businesses, Jazz culture, crime, and more. The absence of it had catastrophic impacts. Prohibition was significant for these groups: those involved in politics interested in reforming America and inevitably those involved in crime, and those who felt that America needed a spiritual cleansing such as the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union.

3.           The two groups (Pro-Prohibition and Anti-Prohibition) responded in contrasting ways. Firstly, their ways of thinking were different. While Pro-Prohibition sectors wanted change and progression, anti-Prohibition groups wanted conformity to old behavior and regression. Pro-Prohibition groups were mostly didactic in their pursuit of changing the perspective of alcohol reliance, whereas anti-Prohibition groups fervently expressed their desire for the repeal of the 18th Amendment by strong protest, organized strikes, and crime (rebellion against government laws also an act of protest). The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, in particular, was not just an organization regarding containment of alcohol – it was a gathering of women expressing their ideas and exercising their limit of freedom.

4.           I believe I will have some difficulty framing the two sides (anti vs pro-Prohibition groups) and effectively articulating the contrasting rhetoric of these groups. As for methodological concerns, I am not entirely sure on the division between the quantitative amount of historical vs. rhetoric information I should be incorporating into the paper. The Progressive Era is a moderately long time period that is dense in detail – Prohibition, simply being one. However, I want to successfully intersect all significant events during the Progressive Era with how they influenced Prohibition and people’s thinking and actions as a response to this change – and that, in my opinion, will be the most difficult part of this project.