Aftermath: The Unintended Consequences of Public Policies by Thomas E. Hall

Author:Thomas E. Hall [Hall, Thomas E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cato Institute
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

These communal binges became less popular as the 1820s progressed, due in part to the temperance movement (Rorabaugh 1979, 169). But as communal binges declined in popularity, another problem arose: the solo binge, where an individual (usually male) would drink himself into a stupor, sometimes for days on end. This form of alcohol consumption was considered to be a more severe problem than communal binges because everyone would sober up after a communal binge and not do it again for a few weeks. However, men engaging in a solo binges were often unable to hold jobs and were more likely to abuse their families. This rise in solo binge drinking during the 1830s was instrumental in advancing the temperance movement.

The Early Movement

In the early 1700s, North American liquor laws were geared toward discouraging public drunkenness, restricting sales to Native Americans, and generating revenue to governments through liquor store licensing. Alcohol had its critics, but for the most part they were few and far between.8 However, the situation began to change when rum became a common beverage because its drinkers were much more likely to become inebriated than consumers of wine and cider. Church ministers began preaching against “Demon Rum.” Although most people ignored these arguments and carried on with their drinking, excessive alcohol consumption was becoming a problem, evidenced by the fact that as time passed, the liquor laws became more restrictive. Increasingly harsh penalties were being imposed for public drunkenness and sales to Native Americans.

The first significant prohibition law in North America was imposed in 1733 in the colony of Georgia. Its founder was a social reformer named James Oglethorpe, who shortly after his arrival in North America concluded that the colonists were drinking too much rum and that it was adversely affecting the condition of the colony. So he persuaded the British Parliament to impose a prohibition against importing distilled liquors into Georgia, effective in 1735. In a foretaste of what would happen nearly 200 years later under federal Prohibition, illegal stills were soon put into operation, armed bootleggers transported the liquor around the backcountry, and illegal drinking establishments became common. According to one report, government officials were pocketing large sums from the illegal trade (Asbury 1950, 21–22). In 1742, the law was declared a failure and abandoned.

The movement against excessive alcohol consumption received major support in the 1770s when well-known American physician Benjamin Rush, who signed the Declaration of Independence and later served as surgeon general of the Continental Army, questioned the medicinal affects of alcohol. He argued that although consumption in moderation was acceptable, ingesting large quantities caused severe health problems. Though these arguments are well-known today, they were considered radical at the time. Importantly, they formed a scientific basis against alcohol usage in large amounts. His 1784 pamphlet An Inquiry into the Effect of Spiritous Liquors was used by clergy to support their arguments regarding the evils of alcohol, and it is credited with initiating a change in American drinking habits among some members of the upper class, causing them to drink water instead of alcohol (Rorabaugh 1979, 46).

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