Problematic Prohibition
January 17 marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of National Prohibition, the so-called Noble Experiment that demonstraates the failure of the progressive political philosophy that made it possible, illustrating the truth of conservative scholar Russell Kirk’s assertion in his book The Politics of Prudence: “Any public measure ought to be judged by its probable long-run consequences, not merely by temporary advantage and popularity.”
The 18th Amendment, which prohibited the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors,” was quite popular when it sailed through Congress in 1918, and was quickly ratified by the requisite number of states in 1919. The Volstead Act implemented the enforcement structure for National Prohibition, and National Prohibition would remain in effect until the passage of the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th, in 1933.
Even then alcohol abuse had a long sordid history, and state efforts to curtail it could be traced back well into the 19th century. Maine was the first state to ban the sale of alcohol in 1851, based on studies by Portland businessman Neal Dow, who claimed there was a link between booze and family violence, crime, and poverty.
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