The Intersection of Patriotism and Prohibition
This Gasconade Country news article explains how the idea of patriotism intersects with the prohibition movement. It takes the perspective that prohibition is actually unpatriotic, despite its advocates claiming that it would do great things for the country. The article questions how prohibition could be patriotic if it is delaying essential wartime efforts. Additionally, it adds how many retail liquor dealers in Missouri are fighting under the American flag, which brings up the idea that it cannot be patriotic to destroy the livelihood of the people who America’s soldiers are fighting to protect. These liquor dealers have also paid heavy taxes on their alcoholic goods, but the prohibition act would call for the destruction of these goods. How can it be patriotic to destroy goods that these dealers have already paid taxes on? Lastly, and perhaps most important, the article explains how many St. Louis brewers are owned by American citizens who greatly show their loyalty and patriotism to the United States in many different ways. Why should their patriotism be questioned if they have already proven their loyalty to the country? Though the article doesn't actually answer any of the questions it proposes, we can conclude that it’s alluding to the fact that, though prohibition is centered around the idea of patriotism, its actually not very patriotic at all.
Other blog articles touch on the idea of patriotism and prohibition as well. An article from the National World War II Museum touches on the patriotism of the German-Americans during the prohibition era. Many of the St. Louis breweries mentioned in the Gasconade Country Republican article were owned by German-American citizens. Though they knew they were loyal to this country, they really had to prove it, especially during this time of anti-German sentiment. To try to make their case for their patriotism, the Anheuser-Busch brewery changed their labels to feature English instead of German, while also removing all signs of German imagery. This was just one way that the German-Americans had to fight to prove their loyalty to the United States in the dark times of prohibition.
The conversation of patriotism and American breweries is continued in a New York Times article. During World War I, the Anti-Saloon League, an organization that heavily advocated for prohibition in the US, described the prohibition of all liquor traffic “the most patriotic act.” With many of the breweries in the hands of German-Americans, the league claimed them to be the most “un-American” and “home wrecking.” The Anti-Saloon League’s wishes came true when all breweries, along with the transportation of any sort of alcohol, was officially banned in 1920. This brings up the question of patriotism yet again. The German-Americans, who proved their loyalty to the United States time and time again, were branded as the unpatriotic enemy in a time when the country needed to be united most.
