Originally published in 1979, it's possible there's now new data (hard to find as it was at the time of author's research) on alcohol output in America between 1790-1840, an era of very heavy drinking. This level of drinking stopped almost overnight with the temperance movement (The American Temperance Society was founded in 1826) and religion revivals.

This was interesting overall -- it is a scholarly work -- but the author may have overreached in his analyses of *why* there was so much drinking going on. Such as saying pioneer folks were lonely/isolated & anxious. Did he have any hard evidence that was so? Yes, I'm sure some turned to drink because of isolation.

More interesting were facts such as how/why whiskey replaced rum (simply put, rum was taxed) as favored drink.

I think at the time, this was a groundbreaking work on this topic. ( )

Rorabough looks at the history of drinking in America up until the temperance movement, with a focus on the period of heaviest drinking: the early 1800's. The daily per capita intake of distilled spirits was incredibly high at that point in time, and binge drinking was common. The book talks about the psychology of heavy drinking, and what created the temperance movement of the 1830's. It was quite interesting. Definitely recommended. ( )

The United States has an ambivalent relationship with alcohol. It is a large segment of the economy as well as social life, but many religious groups condemn alcohol as a sin. W.J. Rorabaugh explores American society's relationship with alcoholic drink. Distilled spirits were a prominent part of society in the colonial era and early republic, Rum was the most prevalent drink prior to the revolution. Rum and mollasses, to distill into rum, were imported from the Caribbean. Whiskey was produced domestically from grain and was generally of poorer quality. After the revolution, Difficulty in importing rum and patriotic association with American made whiskey the drink of choice. Expansion across the Appalachians also contributed to whiskey production. Grain was more expensive to transport over the mountains or down the Mississippi and earned a lower price than if it were distilled into whiskey.

Rorabaugh sees the 1820's as the high point of alcohol consuption (per capita) in American history. By 1830, however, alcohol consumption began to decline because of sweeping changes in society. The transportation revolution allowed western farmers to transport their crops east more profitably. This was coupled with the 2nd Great Awakening, which spawned a religious revival that connected drinking to sin. In addition, the American ethos of productivity was forming, which saw drunkenness as a detrimentt.

Rorabaugh provides an entertaining, even if occasionally confused, narative. His conclusions, however, are somewhat dubious. He sees America developing dual ethos during this period, one with an emphasis on religion and emphasis on frugality and productivity. Both were reactions to massive upheavals in American society, but they did not complement each other well, except for the issue of temperance. Rorabaugh sees temperance as the bridge between the two, allowing them to cooperate. The fact that prohibition collapsed at the same time as the capitalist economy supports his argument. Prohibition's failure completely discredited temperance, eliminating this bridge and contributing to the polarizing of society between religion on secular production.

The Alcoholic Republic is an entertaining book. At times, it provides some useful information into the relationship between alcohol consumption and society. It does not, however, provide much new insight into either temperance or prohibition. It is an easy and fun read, but not particulary useful. ( )