A Toast to the Archives
October 1, 2024
It’s critical to preservation efforts that archival spaces and stacks stay dry, and by that we mean physically moisture-free. But it doesn’t mean our records are totally “dry.” Let’s take a look back at the complicated, scientific, and even illicit history of America’s relationship with alcohol through glimpses into the National Archives catalog. Enjoy responsibly…
From Progressivism to Prohibition
Since the early days in America, it was quite common for people to brew beers or other relatively low alcoholic beverages in their own homes; the consumption of alcohol was a fact of life. In fact, when the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth in 1620, one of their most serious concerns was the dwindling supply of beer on their ship.
By the end of the Civil War and into the late 19th century, however, political reformers, namely those who were a part of temperance societies, were raising serious concerns about saloons, gambling houses, and other sites of vice.
Many women who came to the forefront of the suffrage movement began their organizing in temperance spaces. A major argument for the enfranchisement of women was the idea that their voice in politics could rid society of saloon culture and fight what they saw as incessant drunkenness. Anna Howard Shaw, who was a key leader in the suffrage movement, rose to prominence as a lecturer with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.
A delegation of officers of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, including Anna Howard Shaw (front row, second from the left), c1917.
Of course the efforts of these temperance coalitions culminated in the passage of the 18th Amendment, ratified in 1919. The amendment outlawed alcohol manufacturing, distribution, and sales. While statistics from the time show that alcohol consumption did drop off quite significantly, it certainly did not deter thousands of Americans from engaging in openly illicit activity like operating speakeasies. The Volstead Act of 1919, passed right before the amendment took effect, even specified more details about how states could enforce the law. Even with this act, the application of prohibition proved prohibitively costly and difficult. It was not until 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, that the 21st Amendment’s ratification overturned prohibition for good.
Hops and…Hydrolysis?
The distillation of spirits involves complex chemical considerations; it’s a science! Notably, Louis Pasteur, the father of “pasteurization,” is also responsible for helping make the beer many enjoy today more stable for both commercial sale and interstate distribution.
Nowadays we have refrigerators, but Americans in the 19th century did not have the same luxury for storing perishable goods. In many cases, the potential for beer to spoil also hampered beermakers’ ability to sell or distribute their beers across state lines.
In Pasteur’s patent on beer, he shows how one could eradicate bacteria from the formula. Most beer contains two key ingredients: yeast and water. Because yeast is alive and therefore ferments, bacteria can multiply in it. Pasteur revolutionized the entire process by pointing out the living nature of yeast, which could be counteracted by applying heat during the brewing process to kill the bacteria.
While Pasteur was not a U.S. citizen, a change through the Patent Act of 1832 expanded the right to patent to noncitizens, which was a boon for innovation.
The Spirit(s) of the Presidency
Many Presidents have enjoyed a spirit or drink of choice while in office. Some highlights include…
- George Washington had a favorite rye that he drank with a little molasses;
- John Adams enjoyed hard cider;
- Theodore Roosevelt was quite partial to mint juleps;
- Herbert Hoover took his martinis dry; and
- Ronald Reagan, a Californian through and through, loved his West Coast wines.
Want another around? The National Archives featured an exhibit from 2015 to 2016 entitled, Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History. You can learn more about the history and featured holdings here.
