Date of Award

6-1956

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Journalism

First Advisor

A.O. Goldsmith

Abstract

This is an inquiry into the beginnings of national prohibition in the United States, as seen by the Times-Picayune. Particular emphasis was given New Orleans, the community in which the newspaper was published and one of the most hostile areas in the country.

The period covered extends from November, 1918, when war prohibition began, through June, 1920, the month when the Supreme Court upheld the 18th Amendment and its enforcement act.

Some 600 issues of the Times-Picayune were carefully studied, giving due attention to news coverage, editorials, reader opinion, and the loyalties of the publication. A number of books on prohibition were also' consulted In an attempt to understand the climate that made such far-reaching legislation possible.

From this study of the first 20 months of prohibition as a national policy, it is concluded that it was effective only where it enjoyed overwhelming public support. The successful use of force would have required an army of enforcers and the loss of other liberties. It is also doubtful that a nation of great size and diverse cultures could educate its citizens to accept such intimate regulation of social conduct.

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