Question

•Why did Pauline Sabin at first support Prohibition, but later reject it?​

Answer 1

Answer: Sabin at first supported Prohibition. As she explained later, “I felt I should approve of it because it would help my two sons. The word-pictures of the agitators carried me away. I thought a world without liquor would be a beautiful world.”2

Prohibition had promised a society with lower crime and violence, better health, higher employment and greater prosperity. It had promised improved public morality, the protection of youth, and many other benefits.

The dream of Prohibition quickly turned into the nightmare of its reality. Within a week after the 18th Amendment went into effect, small portable stills were for sale throughout the country.3 The mayor of New York City sent instructions on winemaking to his constituents.4 California grape growers increased their acreage about 700% during the first five years of Prohibition. There was a booming nation-wide demand for grapes. Not to eat, but to make wine at home.5 A member of the President’s cabinet operated an illegal still. Bootleggers operated in the halls of Congress.

Explanation: