The Curse of the Liquor Sale: An Examination of the Prohibition Movement in San Joaquin County from 1905-1933
Faculty Mentor Name
Laura Gutierrez
Research or Creativity Area
Humanities & Arts
Abstract
Previous authors have tended to make sweeping generalizations about prohibition in areas such as Northern California, often stating they were anti-prohibition simply due to the presence of larger “wet” cities like San Francisco. This generalization overlooks the intricacies of Northern California, especially of a place like San Joaquin County. While some authors have written about prohibition in California or region-specific areas, there is no research on the specific effects of prohibition on San Joaquin County. I investigated the primary motives of temperance organizations in this area in an attempt to understand why there was such a divide in pro- and anti-prohibition supporters. For this project I analyzed a plethora of sources ranging from newspaper articles, advertisements, photos, and diary entries. My research focused on the years of 1905-1933, the period in which the prohibition movement had the most significance in San Joaquin County up until the point when it was legally repealed. Although the Prohibition movement in California has been defined by a North vs South split, San Joaquin County experienced a voting anomaly in the 1916 election due to its rural and agricultural setting as well as the fears of moral iniquity and loss of viticulture that polarized the San Joaquin County residents from 1905-1933.
The Curse of the Liquor Sale: An Examination of the Prohibition Movement in San Joaquin County from 1905-1933
Previous authors have tended to make sweeping generalizations about prohibition in areas such as Northern California, often stating they were anti-prohibition simply due to the presence of larger “wet” cities like San Francisco. This generalization overlooks the intricacies of Northern California, especially of a place like San Joaquin County. While some authors have written about prohibition in California or region-specific areas, there is no research on the specific effects of prohibition on San Joaquin County. I investigated the primary motives of temperance organizations in this area in an attempt to understand why there was such a divide in pro- and anti-prohibition supporters. For this project I analyzed a plethora of sources ranging from newspaper articles, advertisements, photos, and diary entries. My research focused on the years of 1905-1933, the period in which the prohibition movement had the most significance in San Joaquin County up until the point when it was legally repealed. Although the Prohibition movement in California has been defined by a North vs South split, San Joaquin County experienced a voting anomaly in the 1916 election due to its rural and agricultural setting as well as the fears of moral iniquity and loss of viticulture that polarized the San Joaquin County residents from 1905-1933.
