CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
At the turn of the twentieth century, the call for Prohibition had become a national issue, espoused by many politicians and pushed by several strong organizations. The American Temperance Society, started in 1826, acted as a support group for members who took a pledge to abstain from alcohol. The Prohibition Party, founded in 1869, is the oldest existing third party in the United States, garnering 5,617 votes in the 2016 presidential election. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, started in 1874, tended to focus on the moral implications of drinking and its effect on the family. Formed in Ohio in 1893, the Anti-Saloon League used statistics, not morals, to fight the war on alcohol. Every year, the Anti-Saloon League published a yearbook, an “encyclopedia of facts and figures dealing with the liquor traffic and the temperance reform.” Armed with these facts, dedicated Prohibitionists could try to convince others they considered to be reluctant or unenlightened which could include family members, those arguing against prohibition in formal debates, and in letters to politicians and newspapers who were not in favor of prohibition.
The 1930 Anti-Saloon League Yearbook contained a poll of high school seniors and their attitudes about alcohol. Commissioned in April of 1929 by the Department of Moral Welfare of the Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, the study was surprisingly objective. The book explained the methodology of the poll in some detail: letters were sent out to schools in eighteen states “from every type of community from urban centers like New York to small towns in the south and mid-west.” Each school received twenty questionnaires that were to be given out at random to high school seniors. No names were to be signed to the questionnaire. The authors attempted to keep the survey unbiased, stating that “Every attempt was made to eliminate all tinge of the investigator and any so-called moralistic influence in carrying out the study.” The results were used to bolster the argument in favor of prohibition.
Overall, 79 percent of students surveyed said they did not drink at all. Moreover, 70 percent thought that Prohibition laws had benefitted the nation, with attached notes to their responses registering “several very violent opinions on both sides of this question.” Asked if moderate drinking would injure their prospects, 92 percent thought that drinking would be detrimental to athletics, while 74 percent believed that alcohol would diminish their chance of success in business. An overwhelming 96 percent of the seniors interviewed did not think it was necessary to drink to be popular. Ironically, when Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the 17-year-old seniors who participated in this survey were just turning 21, so they could legally drink alcohol.
Citation: Ernest Cherrington, ed., The Anti-Saloon League Yearbook 1930 (Westerville, Ohio: The American Issue Press, 1930).
The 1930 Anti-Saloon League Yearbook contained a poll of high school seniors and their attitudes about alcohol. Commissioned in April of 1929 by the Department of Moral Welfare of the Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, the study was surprisingly objective. The book explained the methodology of the poll in some detail: letters were sent out to schools in eighteen states “from every type of community from urban centers like New York to small towns in the south and mid-west.” Each school received twenty questionnaires that were to be given out at random to high school seniors. No names were to be signed to the questionnaire. The authors attempted to keep the survey unbiased, stating that “Every attempt was made to eliminate all tinge of the investigator and any so-called moralistic influence in carrying out the study.” The results were used to bolster the argument in favor of prohibition.
Overall, 79 percent of students surveyed said they did not drink at all. Moreover, 70 percent thought that Prohibition laws had benefitted the nation, with attached notes to their responses registering “several very violent opinions on both sides of this question.” Asked if moderate drinking would injure their prospects, 92 percent thought that drinking would be detrimental to athletics, while 74 percent believed that alcohol would diminish their chance of success in business. An overwhelming 96 percent of the seniors interviewed did not think it was necessary to drink to be popular. Ironically, when Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the 17-year-old seniors who participated in this survey were just turning 21, so they could legally drink alcohol.
Citation: Ernest Cherrington, ed., The Anti-Saloon League Yearbook 1930 (Westerville, Ohio: The American Issue Press, 1930).
Standards
VS.8, VS.9, USII.4, USII.6, CE.6, CE.10, WHII.8, VUS.8, VUS.10, GOVT.7, GOVT.9
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Take a Look: Look at the document, what do you notice about it? Who is responsible for creating the document? What do you think is the purpose of the document?
Post Activities
Current Connections: Do you think the results of this survey would be similar if it were given today? In what categories would you expect the greatest changes? Check out some recent polls from the Centers for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm
STEM STAT: How many males and females participated in this survey? What is the best way to figure out a percentage for these questions? What percentage of boys drank alcohol? What percentage of girls drank? What might account for this gender gap?
Take a Look: Look at the document, what do you notice about it? Who is responsible for creating the document? What do you think is the purpose of the document?
Post Activities
Current Connections: Do you think the results of this survey would be similar if it were given today? In what categories would you expect the greatest changes? Check out some recent polls from the Centers for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm
STEM STAT: How many males and females participated in this survey? What is the best way to figure out a percentage for these questions? What percentage of boys drank alcohol? What percentage of girls drank? What might account for this gender gap?