Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
After the American Civil War, immigrants, mainly from Ireland, Germany, Italy and other parts of Europe, crowded major cities by the millions. Many of these men worked hard and drank just as hard. Beer became a favorite drink and many German-Americans who knew how to brew beer began producing it in large quantities. By the 1870s, many wives and mothers who were completely dependant on their men, began to protest having their lives ruined by alcohol. They were joined by a number of clergymen. They organized as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and became a powerful force for change. They were joined by women such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. prominent in the suffrage movement (women's right to vote). The temperance movement was able to put political pressure on politicians that many were afraid of. The WCTU began calling for a nation-wide ban on alcoholic drink. At first, most Senators were against the idea. But they also did not want to be seen as voting against it. For this reason they imposed a deadline for ratification of seven years. Many hoped it would not be ratified. But the plan did not work since it was ratified just over a year after its passage.