6.17.22 / SHOULD WE BE PRO-PROHIBITION?

Mark Lawrence Schrad & Moira Donegan

The Supreme Court rulings this week have us thinking about Ep. 106 of The Four Top. It’s all about Prohibition, a constitutional amendment that the wine industry loves to diss. The U.S. ban on alcoholic beverages wreaked all sorts of havoc between 1920 and 1933, and its legacy continues to bedevil interstate wine sales.

But we’ve only heard part of the Prohibition story. Our guests have dug deeper, and learned that the Temperance Movement may just have saved our nation.

“Temperance was about resistance to predatory capitalism and the politics of imperialism.”

— Mark Lawrence Schrad

Guest panelist Mark Lawrence Schrad teaches Political Science at Villanova University. His most recent book is Smashing the Liquor Machine: A Global History of Prohibition.

“I conceptualize the Temperance Movement as a mass movement by women against domestic violence.”

— Moira Donegan

We’re also joined in this episode by Moira Donegan, a columnist at The Guardian who writes frequently about gender issues and is—no joke—a Carrie Nation fan.

The Four Top is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Give it a listen… and let us know if Mark and Moira have changed your perspective on Prohibition.

LISTEN

two vintage photos of alcohol being poured into the sewer during prohibition era

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