Prohibition ad from the Daily Tar Heel on February 1, 1921
This object is an article from the Daily Tar Heel on February 1, 1921. As you could see in the article, there were people from this community that was speaking out against the Dialectic Society’s decision to reject the approval to manufacture light wine and beer. I think it is important to point out the subtitle of the article which is “Few Speakers Rise to Defend Drinks of the Dear Dead Past”. The use of “Dear Dead Past” is significant because at this point of time, alcohol was looked at as a bad thing of the past as opposed to now in which alcohol is legal to consume. Also, the article offers pointers for and against the prohibition. The arguments are based on whether or whether not they think the ban was a rule by the majority or the minority, and whether or whether not they feel it is justified.
This is relevant to the Chapel Hill food story because of the time period that this article was made. This ad was published during the prohibition period, which was an intense period that lasted from 1920 to December 5, 1933. Because of alcoholism, violence and political corruption, the United States Constitution was issued in which it banned the production and sale of alcohol beverages. This is the 18th Amendment in the United States Constitution, and the era ended in 1933 with the creation of the 21st Amendment which repealed the 18th amendment and allowed the sale and production of alcoholic beverages. So, this article is unique to this time period because in all of the other time periods, alcohol was legal for purchase nationally.
So, this is important to the Chapel Hill food story because it offers local and first-hand opinions on the national ban which is significant because this shows the different platforms that were available during this time that help people to amplify their voice and reasoning of their opinions about what was going on during this time.
Citation: 1921. “Dialectic’s Vote Down Light Wines and Beer.” Daily Tar Heel, February 1, 1921. https://universityofnorthcarolinaatchapelhill.newspapers.com/image/67888663/?terms=beer%2Bin%2BChapel%2BHill.