18th and 19th Amendments

Question Mark Icon Should the United States legislate personal morals such as the right to vote?

Prohibition

Previous reform movements and revival of Christian practices led to the temperance movement in the United States. The temperance movement focused on “tempering” or moderating the use of alcohol in the United States. Numerous reform groups wanted to rid the country of alcohol. These groups attributed many of the societal ills of the time to a connection with alcohol. These groups attributed poverty, child and spousal abuse, crime and disease to alcohol consumption and especially its over-consumption. Many groups used a Christian doctrine to pursue their goals. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union was the most notable. Their work led to the establishment of the Anti-Saloon League with a political platform of prohibition of alcohol.

Photograph of a Street Disposal during Prohibition.

Collectively, these groups were able to piggyback on the anti-immigrant, especially the German beer-making, culture of the time. Partnered, either officially or unofficially, with anti-immigrant groups, prohibition groups were able to pass legislation against alcohol. The passage of the 18^th Amendment to the United States Constitution called for the prohibition of the sale, production and distribution of alcohol.

The amendment was a failure almost immediately. The United States government did not budget enough money or allocate enough resources to enforce prohibition. Organized crime flourished. Most notably gangsters, such as the infamous Al Capone, were able to gain control, both financially and politically, of cities such as Chicago. Underground bars and saloons known as ‘speakeasies’ popped up almost overnight. Ultimately, the United States government officials realized they could not legislate moral choice and moderation. As the Great Depression loomed, it was evident the costs to enforce the 18^th Amendment were outmatched by the excise taxes that could be collected on its production. Eventually, the 18^th Amendment became the first and only amendment to be repealed. The 21^st Amendment to the United States Constitution called for the repeal of the 18^th Amendment and the end to the era known as Prohibition.

Federal Agents destroying barrels of alcohol. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Women's Suffrage

Suffrage is the right to vote. Women have played a vital role in the development of civilization and certainly from the colonization of the present-day United States. Women served as nurses, seamstresses, and even spies in the Revolutionary War. Women continued to support the war effort and maintain the home and their husband’s businesses in war time through the Civil War and were advocates for the abolition of slavery and African-American rights. In the early 20^th century, women were at the forefront of the settlement house movement and helped immigrants assimilate into American society. Women worked for labor reform, political reform and sanitation reform. As demonstrated by their efforts during World War I, many activists argued that it was time for women to have the right to vote.

However, the fight for women to receive the right to vote was not easy. Groups like the National American Women’s Suffrage Association had lobbied for women’s right to vote since the mid-1800s. The Seneca Falls Convention narrowly passed a resolution supporting the right for women to vote. But, as women filled the roles of men on the home front during World War I, groups like the National Woman’s Party pushed for enfranchisement. The efforts of political groups, efforts of women during World War I and the collective evidence of involvement and contributions of American women, the 19^th Amendment to Constitution was ratified in 1920 giving women the right to vote.

National Woman’s Party protests President Wilson’s reluctance to provide for women the right to vote.

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