Last night Matt and I stayed up too late catching the encore showing of Part 1 of the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick documentary Prohibition. We also drank a little Maker's Mark in honor of the occasion. The first episode addressed the basis and rise of the prohibition movement.
What stood out in particular to me is that while people tend to think of prohibition as a conservative movement steeped in our Puritan roots, it was actually a very progressive movement, believed to be a way to rid the country of slums and end poverty. It really united religious and non-religious (the picture above is of women demonstrating in support of prohibition laws), and it was thought that a prohibition amendment would usher in a utopian era of peace and prosperity. But according to the documentary, the same day the amendment passed, liquor was stolen from various locations in Chicago.
We're about to start Part 2, which picks up as Prohibition begins. I believe we'll be drinking "sacramental" wine in keeping with the spirit. I love American history, and since starting to homebrew I've become increasingly interested in our alcohol laws, which are tied to the end of Prohibition, so this is particularly interesting to me. Plus: organized crime and the Roaring 20's! Glamorous!