Prohibition: The 18th Amendment, ratified in 1919, outlawed the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. While prohibition efforts were well underway in the United States before WWI, many believe the war provided the final push. Those who supported the Temperance Movement believed that money spent on alcohol could be better spent on U.S. soldiers overseas. They also believed that the ingredients used in beer could be better put to use in bread making for U.S. soldiers. Breweries also came under fire because many were owned by Germans.
Breweries around the country had to come up with innovative ways to stay in business during prohibition. Some small breweries continued to operate in secret. Others refitted their factories and began to manufacture ice cream. Some switched to producing “near beer”. Near beer was a legal brew that contained less than .5% alcohol. Goetz Brewery in St. Joseph was one of these latter companies. Goetz Pale was one of America’s most famous near beer, and was said to retain beer taste despite the lower alcohol level.
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Above: Goetz County Club Special collection loaned by Jerry Porter
Left: YWCA Poster from the collections of the St. Joseph Museums, Inc.
Women’s Suffrage: In 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified giving women the right to vote. Women had supported the war efforts in a number of different ways and ultimately this helped them achieve suffrage. With many men off to war, women stepped up to fill their positions in factories. They also raised money through fundraisers and by selling war bonds. Women also served in the Red Cross, many overseas as nurses. President Wilson himself argued for women’s suffrage, pointing to their efforts in the war, when he addressed the Senate and urged them to support the 19th Amendment.
Lost Generation: The Lost Generation, a term popularized by Ernest Hemingway, was the generation that came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the war, the Lost Generation set aside the strict morality and conservatism of previous generations for individualism. This break in traditions coupled with modern advancements brought forth The Roaring Twenties.
The Roaring Twenties saw economic growth and stability and as a result an enormous boom in culture and society. Everything from fashion, architecture, music, cinema, literature, and art went through a vast change in creativity and innovation.