The Whiskey Papers #4 - The Great Awakening

The Whiskey Papers #4 - The Great Awakening

The Great Awakening was based on Biblical scripture.  Specifically, it was based on Isaiah 66:8 (Geneva Translation, 1599) "Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? shall the earth be brought forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."  The Awakening was based on the concept of 'a nation born at once,' the United States of America.  This became the subject of pioneer revivals as the frontier went west and crossed the Ohio River.  The sense was that God would not bless a bunch of drunken idiots.  The Temperance Movement was born, mostly by women.

Temperence poster from 1874.

The Temperance Movement was exactly that.  It pointed out the problems of alcoholism but did not seek to ban alcohol.  Then, the Abolitionist Movement -- the Anti-Slavery Movement -- took center stage.  It was not until after the Civil War that the Temperance Movement began a concerted, concentrated, and coordinated effort.  In Ohio, Westerville took the lead.  There was the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), founded in 1874, and the Anti-Saloon League (ASL), founded in 1893, which advocated for dry laws everywhere.

Their point was no longer one of temperance.  Instead, the WCTU and ASL wanted nothing less than abstinence enforced by government.  Perhaps they rode on the success of the Abolitionists, perhaps the gained fervor, but following the American Civil War, the Temperance Movement now sought a total ban on all alcoholic beverages.

Little attention was paid to backlash.  Nothing but total abstinence was required.

To be sure, alcoholism is not pretty.  It is a disease.  Alcoholics Anonymous would not otherwise exist were alcoholism were but a fancy, like going to the zoo or something.

The framers of the Constitution made no provision for alcohol.  Rum trade was vital to this new country's survival.  Whiskey trade was also essential for slightly different reasons.  Rum was a commodity while whiskey served more humble and essential needs.

Following the American Revolution, the several States were in varying degrees of debt.  To solve this, Alexander Hamilton assumed the debt at a national level, then levied a regressive tax on whiskey.  The Whiskey Rebellion, while about taxation without representation, gained a bad name in public perception when George Washington stepped in to put it down.  Whiskey became fair game.

The Great Awakening was an influence on the Temperance movement.  The success of Federal government was an influence on the Temperance movement as well.

After the Civil War, the Temperance movement had room to grow.  After decades of meeting, lectures, and events, the Temperance movement made gains.  Soon enough, Townships, then Counties voted themselves dry.  The movement met with success in rural areas, but closing bars in cities proved a difficult obstacle for the Temperance movement.

By 1919, a sufficient number of States approved a Constitutional Amendment to ban alcohol, whether produced by distillation or fermentation.  This ushered in nothing less than an underground culture that ignored the law and continued pursuing alcohol through a variety of methods.  Ultimately, the government recognized the futility of the law and repealed it.

This allowed the Tenth Amendment to work as designed.  State and local governments were free to regulate alcohol.

By now, the damage was done.  For example, Terre Haute was, in pre-Prohibition times a major center for distilleries.  Now, grain that made Terre Haute's stills run is shipped to Kentucky's Whiskey Row.  Mash bills have been lost.  There are a few boutique distilleries that still produce a pre-Prohibition product...   Jim and Ellen Hough own one of these.  I am proud to be their friend.