Lex Anteinternet: Today in History. October 28, 1919

Lex Anteinternet: Today in History. October 28, 1919:

A repeat post, as it were:

Today in History. October 28, 1919

The Volstead Act goes into effect. Booze, banned.

The movement to ban alcohol had really been around for a good twenty or so years, and was sort of oddly and closely wrapped up with a bunch of other social movements to which it otherwise had no obvious connection. For example, it was related in a way to the Women's Sufferance Movement, even though voting and drinking (or not drinking) are not obviously connected.

It was really World War One, however, that managed to get Prohibition enough traction to be come the law. That may sound odd, but it was the fear that American servicemen had been exposed to booze and corruption in France that caused enough Americans to want to address what they feared would be a post war drinking problem to pass it. Of course, we know the rest of the story.

I didn't note it in the original entry, but what brought the Volstead Act fully into law on this day was the Senate overriding President Wilson's veto of yesterday.  The House had overridden on the very same day as the veto.

Wilson, it should be noted, was still recovering from a stroke, and not his first, so his action on this was remarkable.

Elsewhere, other things were going on, such as the 1st International Congress of Working Women. Attendees posted for this photograph.