The Prohibition Party essays

The Prohibition Party essays When you hear Prohibition you probably think of the 1920s and the eighteenth amendment, which was a failure, but it is most likely that you have never heard of the political party called the Prohibition Party who was behind the prohibition of intoxicating liquors. The Prohibition Party was organized in 1869; their chief aim was, and still is, the abolition of the liquor traffic (Stanwood). On September 1, 1869 five hundred men and women delegates gathered in Farewell Hall Chicago Ill. to form the new political party. The Prohibition Party is the oldest of the third parties. On its first national convention in Columbus Ohio February 22, 1872 only nine states were represented at the convention (www.antisaloon). James Black, a Pennsylvanian, was nominated for president of the political party (Stanwood). In its early years the party was strongest in Ohio and New York, holding the balance of power in the latter in the presidential election of 1884(Britannica). Candidates appeared in every presidential campaign, but they never won an elector. That goes to show that the public doesnt agree with the values of the Prohibition Party. The peak of its popular support was reached in 1892 with 271,000 votes, and the low ebb in 1928 with a total of 20,000(Stanwood). It is only logical that the party would shrink in size and supporters due to the eighteenth amendment not working. In 1896 the money management was questionable and the party temporarily split up. Through its educational activities and its strong appeal to the moral sentiment of the people, the party exerted an influence for a more effective governmental policy toward the liquor problem (www.antisaloon). While its primary object has been the prohibition of the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors, it has also sparked other political, economic and social reforms, many of which have been backed up by the major ...