Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide Constitutional ban on the sale, production, importation, and transportation of alcoholic beverages that remained in place from 1920 to 1933. It was promoted by "dry" crusaders movement, led by rural Protestants and social Progressives in the Democratic and Republican parties, and was coordinated by the Anti-Saloon League. Prohibition was mandated under the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution … Nationwide Prohibition ended with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, on December 5, 1933. (Source: Wikipedia)
The next two postcards offer a humorous view of the prohibition era in the United States.
The next two postcards are from the time (circa 1929-1930) when prohibition was still in effect throughout the United States, but had ended in most Canadian provinces.
Prohibition in Canada was not as long-lasting or widespread as it was in the U. S. National prohibition was part of the War Measures Act in 1918. After the war, alcohol regulations were primarily a provincial responsibility. The provinces repealed their prohibition laws at different times, mostly during the 1920s. The table below shows the dates that prohibition was in effect in the different provinces of Canada. (Source: Wikipedia)
Note: The Sepia Saturday prompt image this week is a photograph taken in Alberta 1916--the same year that prohibition was enacted in Alberta.
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So it looks like the Yukon & Quebec were the best places to be if you didn't want to be without a drink for too long. :) Prohibition: what a vast waste of time, money, & spirits!
ReplyDeleteI've always been amazed by the subject of the Prohibition. Very interesting post thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteA nice group of comical cards. Watching Boardwalk Empire has been an eye-opener for us.
ReplyDeleteWhat an attempt by well-meaning people to deal with all the abuses that were connected with alcoholism...based on their perceptions that the drink was the cause. Well, it didn't exactly work that way, but at least they found that what could be regulated by governments, wasn't totally under their control (aka speakeasies and increased crime of mobs).
ReplyDeleteI've lately been reading books written in the late 1800s - early 1900s by a Christian author. Temperance figures very largely in the books. Drunken men are a real problem to their families and communities - beating wives, throwing babies around, spending all their earnings on drink. I wondered if something happened around that time - urbanization and closer proximity to saloons? something. The men in the cards above certainly are no advertisment for drink :)
ReplyDeleteThere are some good videos on YouTube that tell the story of Prohibition--look for Ken Burns PBS documentaries about Prohibition--e.g.
DeleteRoots of PROHIBITION A Nation of Drunkards
Roots of PROHIBITION The Time is Now
The Canadian pro-alcohol postcards are a hoot. I imagine there was a big spike in Canadian tourism after the US ban went in place. What did people write on the cards?
ReplyDeleteOne of them was signed "an old soak." Most of the cards are unused or have uninteresting messages.
DeleteGreat post!! I wasn't aware that we had prohibition in Canada.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by and visiting.
Fine post. What a collection of cards you have! What a colossal but well-meant mistake the prohibition amendment was.
ReplyDeleteOh Canada! What a good tourism tool those postcards must have been.
ReplyDeleteThose statistics are so interesting. Prince Edward Island was obviously a very different place from the Yukon! It was good to watch the video too. I now realize where the phrase "for medicinal purposes" nudge nudge wink wink comes from.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting.We didn't have prohibition here in Australia, but certain suburbs in Melbourne were declared 'dry areas' in 1906, which means that even today in some of them, If a restaurant or cafe wants to obtain a liquor licence, it cannot be granted without first conducting a vote of electors in the neighbourhood.
ReplyDeleteAt University in Scotland in the 1950s I couldn't get a drink on a Sunday as it was banned at the time. Interesting set of cards to reflect prohibition days.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly do have postcards which match every theme. Collendina a small settlement near Torquay in Victoria, Australia with a predominantly Methodist population was a dry area until quite late in the 20th Century.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful, and different, social commentary and what a tremendous postcard collection you have.
ReplyDeleteSomeday we'll look back laughingly at marijuana "prohibition".
ReplyDelete