The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition
by W.J. Rorabaugh
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Book Summary Information
Author: W.J. RorabaughEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1981-09-17
ISBN: 0195029909
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition
Book Review: You think Americans drink a lot now? Just wait...
Summary: 4 Stars
The United States has long had a reputation for heavy drinking. Guzzling to the point of intoxication still reigns as a favorite pasttime for high school and college students, and even for some adults. Banning liquor on college campuses can lead to riots (a lesson learned the hard way even recently), and some people will jump through any impossible hoop to ensure their portion of the communal keg. Though alcohol still creates problems for the current generation, what were the attitudes of Americans towards it historically? Has drunkedness always been an issue in America? Not much literature existed on the subject in the 1970s, which the author noticed while researching nineteenth century temperance pamphlets. He then found that drinking weaves a deep and unpredictable path through United States history. But he found some unexpected things along the way. These findings led him to write "The Alcoholic Republic".
An eye-widening surprise opens the book: Americans actually drank more liquor between the years 1790 and 1820 than ever before or since. We actually drink half as much alcohol today as our post Revolutionary ancestors. A chart in the first chapter shows consumption peaking at over 5 gallons per capita in the early 1800s as contrasted with approximately 2 gallons in 1970. A sharp drop occurred in the 1840s and the rate hovered around 2 gallons going forward. Looking at data published by the National Institutes of Health after the book's 1979 publication shows that the rate peaked at only 2.7 gallons in the early 1980s and leveled off at 2.2 gallons in 2002. So the early nineteenth century rate of 5 gallons per capita still remains shocking even with current data. This leads to the inevitable question of why Americans used to drink so much.
To answer this vexing question the author delves into the history of alcohol in Colonial and Revolutionary America. Suprisingly, in the seventeeth century alcohol was seen as "A Good Creature" and as healthful and nutritious to drink. But slowly, by the 1720s, some suspected that alcohol contributed towards reprehensible behavior and disease. Unfortunately, access to alcohol, especially rum, increased as the price dropped (due to more efficient methods of production). So all classess could imbibe with near impunity. By the late eighteenth century some physicians such as Benjamin Rush (still practising the Galenic theory of medicine) began to publish anti liquor tracts condemning it as dangerous. Most were ignored (which invites a comparison to today's anti-smoking literature). But by the 1820s a national temperance movement had gathered momentum. Still, consumption continued, and rum even became a medium of exchange in early America. Water, by sharp contrast, was not drunk by most Americans because it was seen as unhealthy (except for rain water, which didn't contain thick sediments). Copious alcohol stood as the most palatable option for drinks. And everyone drank, including women, children, politicians, clergy, slaves, judges, juries, etc.
But, as the author explains, just because alcohol remained cheap doesn't mean that people had to drink it. What accounted for the 5 gallon consumption rate per capita? Here the discussion becomes more speculative but nonetheless remains fascinating. The author reflects on the upheavals caused by America's transition from an agrarian to an industrial society. Many people undoubtedly became displaced and confused as tradition gave way to commerce. Such travails led to anxiety, and these anxieties thus led people to drink in mass quantities (Appendix four provides more detailed support for this theory). In effect, early nineteenth century Americans were driven to drink by the astonishing changes of their time. Intuitively this sounds like a tenable theory, but finding conclusive evidence for it obviously remains difficult.
As the book progresses, it slowly expands beyond the subject of drinking and onto American society itself. Elements such as the conflict between egalitarian ideals and the reality of inequality get discussed, as well as the pressures to succeed in early industrial America. By the final chapter, the author expostulates on the balancing influences of American life and society, or the material versus the religious elements, and how we're currently out of balance. These subjects grow out of material related to the temperance movement, which gets credited, at least partially, for the drastic reduction of alcohol consumption between 1820 - 1840. The author dismisses various theories for the origins of the movement, and claims that people just needed an alternative to drinking, and abstinence fed their religious and moral sides (the "Second Great Awakening" had emerged in the early 1800s).
Regardless of its highly speculative nature, the book manages to provide loads of fuel for thought. Also, the author clearly states in the preface that he's not out to "prove" anything: "It matters less that my speculations are correct, although I hope that some of them will be proved in time, than that I have provoked the reader to think and explore for himself. That is why I wrote the book." In this the author definitely succeeds. The book will likely leave curious readers loaded with questions and attempting to test some of the theories the author evokes. And some of the sections dealing with disappointment and inflated expectations may even allow some to reflect on their own place in society. Also, a tenable picture of early American life emerges from the text along with glimpses of the evolution of America and its attitudes towards drinking (the section on elections will elicit gasps or bitter laughter). Lastly, perhaps the theories in this book, if solidified, could potentially point to societal warning signs by examining the the levels of alcohol consumption (along with other chemicals). In the end, the book will leave readers hoping that America will never see such heights of intoxication as it did in its early stages.
Summary of The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition
"Rorabaugh has written a well thought out and intriguing social history of America's great alcoholic binge that occurred between 1790 and 1830, what he terms 'a key formative period' in our history....A pioneering work that illuminates a part of our heritage that can no longer be neglected in future studies of America's social fabric.
A bold and frequently illuminating attempt to investigate the relationship of a single social custom to the central features of our historical experience....A book which always asks interesting questions and provides many provocative answers.
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