Leading up to 18th Amendment, a lot of emphasis was placed on alcohol consumption as the root of crime and problems in society.
Leading Up to Prohibition
Even in the 1800s, blame was placed on alcohol for disrupting communities. Fueled by religious fervor, a version of “Prohibition Light” was enacted in places such as Massachusetts, Maine, and Ohio. In 1838, a Massachusetts law prohibited the sale of spirits in limited quantities. In 1846, Maine passed a law prohibiting alcohol statewide (it was repealed two years later). In the late 1800s, Ohio attempted to prohibit the sale of alcohol when the Women’s Christian Temperance Union joined forces with the Anti-Saloon League.
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