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| Library of Congress |
For most Americans, before Prohibition, alcohol was American as apple pie.
The Mayflower hold was filled with beer.
John Adams began each day with hard cider.
George Washington made sure his men had half a cup of rum everyday.
Thomas Jefferson dream of fine American vineyards.
Young Abraham Lincoln sold liquor by the barrel from his grocery store.
Fredrick Douglas said liquor made him feel like a president--self-assured and independent.
Physicians said alcohol was far better for people than waters hauled from muddy rivers.
Clergy men drank as part of their ritual celebrations.
Cited from Ken Burn's documentary Prohibition.