Battling Demon Rum: The Struggle for a Dry America, 1800-1933

American Ways Series

by Thomas R. Pegram

From roughly 1800 to the repeal of national prohibition in 1933, temperance reform was a powerful and revealing American social movement. Alcoholic drink had been a fixture of daily life from colonial times, and to many Americans the saloon became a symbol of freedom and egalitarianism―a fitting emblem for American democracy. But many men and women believed that alcohol had a destructive impact on American society and fostered personal and political deviancy. Thomas Pegram's narrative account of their fight to regulate alcohol traces the moral and political campaigns of the temperance advocates, and shows how their tactics and organization reflected changes in the nation's politics and social structure. Because political parties and government have historically resisted divisive moral reforms such as prohibition, Mr. Pegram notes the success of such initiatives indicates key moments of change―as with the adoption of national prohibition in 1919. But in this instance the failures of prohibition enforcement shaped the attitudes of politics and ever since, offering an example of the limits of government-enforced morals. Battling Demon Rum is an intriguing tale of social reform, expertly told. New in the American Ways Series.

Genres: History, Politics

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 1998

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a re-read for me. My father lent it to me some years back. I remember being fascinated by the parallels to current abortion issues, and by the political and social complexities of the issue. This will be a long-term slow read.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great review of the development and evolution of Prohibition in America.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really despised this book. I don't know how anyone can make this topic interesting.