Speakeasies, rum runners, and backwoods fundamentalists railing about the ills of strong drink are just one small part of the global story of prohibition. The full story of prohibition—one you’ve probably never been told—is perhaps one of the most broad-based and successful transnational social movements of the modern era. The call for temperance motivated and aligned activists within progressive, social justice, labor rights, women’s rights, and indigenous rights movements advocating for communal self-protection against the corrupt and predatory “liquor machine” that had become rich off the misery and addictions of the poor around the world.
From the slums of South Asia, to the beerhalls of Central Europe, to the Native American reservations of the United States, discover 20 key figures from history that you didn’t know were prohibitionists.
Sagoyewatha Red Jacket
Full name: Sagoyewatha
Lived: c. 1750-20 January 1830
Nationality: Seneca Tribe
Occupation: orator, tribal chief
As a Seneca tribal elder from present-day upstate New York, Sagoyewatha was an outspoken defender of Native American rights against the encroachments of white settlers, including their use of distilled whiskey as a negotiating tool with native tribes. As one of the great Native American orators, Red Jacket frequently pointed out the duplicity of sending European missionaries to “civilize” Native Americans while simultaneously sending liquors to debauch them. He suggested that until white settlers stop cheating Native Americans with liquor, it would be better if Native Americans sent missionaries among the white populations to teach them morality and fair dealing. Like many in his tribe, Red Jacket himself eventually became addicted to the white man’s liquor. When all 11 of his children died of tuberculosis, he interpreted it as the Great Spirit’s punishment for his intemperance.
Recent Comments
There are currently no comments.