In colonial times, Britain attempted to exert their parental rights by putting a ban on alcohol in Georgia due to an overabundance of rum and brandy consumption. In turn, Georgia farmers took this as an opportunity not only to run illegal stills but to run to South Carolina for booze. https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-road-to-prohibition/why-prohibition-happened/
Rum was incredibly popular among the colonies. British taxation and regulation of molasses and then sugar was therefore unappreciated. "By 1770, the colonies had more than 140 rum distilleries, making about 4.8 million gallons annually. That was on top of the 3.78 million gallons imported each year." (https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/Holiday07/drink.cfm)
“John Adams, by then one of the country's founding fathers, wrote to a friend: 'I know not why we should blush to confess that molasses was an essential ingredient in American independence. Many great events have proceeded from much smaller causes.' ”
Tom Standage
Although rum was "the spirit of '76" it was Whiskey that ruled after the revolution. Britain, bitter after losing its custody battle over the United States, thought to punish the used-to-be-colonies by refusing to supply them with rum. However, if there is one thing America has, that is corn, and from corn, comes whiskey. https://daily.jstor.org/a-brief-history-of-drinking-alcohol/
"...penned by Mr. Benjamin Franklin himself, in his famous Poor Richard's Almanack: First 'for making good wine of our own wild Grapes.' Secondly, 'for raising Madeira Wine in [this] province.' Thirdly, for the Improvement of our Corn Spirits, so as they may be preferable to Rum. And this seems very material; for as we raise more Corn that the English West-India Islands can take off. and since we cannot now well sell it to the foreign Islands, what can we do with the Overplus better, that to turn it into Spirit, and thereby lessen the Demand for West-India Rum, which or Grain will not pay for?'" Bourbon: a history of the American spirit by Huckelbridge, Dane
Having shed the parental oversight of Britain, America stepped up ready to govern itself, American leaders thought that one way to do this would be by imposing a whiskey tax. The distillers of western Pennsylvania vehemently disagreed, thus leading us into The Whiskey Rebellion of 1791-1794. When the rebellion became increasingly violent, President Washington sent nearly 13,000 militia into Pennslyvania, thus putting an end to the protests.
At twenty-five cents a gallon, in 1820, whiskey was cheaper than beer, wine, coffee, tea, or milk. (The 1800s: When Americans Drank Whiskey Like it was Water By Jim Vore). American consumption of alcohol was ever-increasing, by 1830, drinkers aged 15 and older consumed roughly 7.1 gallons per year.
One major reason for this is that water was just not safe to drink and still isn't in some places. (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/62625m-settlement-may-not-enough-survivors-flint-water-crisis-rcna79)
Women whose husbands' frequent over-indulgence would combine with other abusive behaviors were able to find kinship in groups like the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the American Temperance Society. Both of which were taking stands to promote abstinence from alcohol. These movement's, typically run by religious groups set about to warn people of the dangers of alcohol
Carrie Nation
"Caroline Amelia Nation (November 25, 1846 – June 9, 1911), often referred to by Carrie, Carry Nation,[1] or Hatchet Granny, was a radical member of the 
Nation was also concerned about tight clothing for women; she refused to wear a corset and urged women not to wear them because of their harmful effects on vital organs.[2] She described herself as "a bulldog running along at the feet of Jesus, barking at what He doesn't like",[3] and claimed a divine ordination to promote temperance by destroying bars"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Natio
The Anti-Saloon League, led by Wayne Wheeler, took things several steps further by creating their own publishing house. This helped them to gain influence over media, publications, and politicians. When the first World War came, the league opted to Play-off of people's anti-immigrant prejudice by claiming German beer as treasonous.
In 1917, the 18th Amendment was passed in Congress and it was ratified in 1919. At 12:01 A.M. on January 17, 1920 Prohibition went into effect.
Explores the extraordinary story of what happens when a freedom-loving nation outlaws the sale of intoxicating liquor and the disastrous unintended consequences that follow. Raises profound questions about the proper role of government and the limits of legislating morality.
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Okrent, Daniel
Al Capone's Beer Wars: A Complete History of Organized Crime in Chicago During Prohibition by Binder, John J.
"Based on 25 years of research using all available sources, this is the definitive history of organized crime in Chicago through the end of the Prohibition Era"-- Provided by publisher.
"The epic true crime story of bootlegger George Remus and the murder that shocked the nation, from the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy In the early days of Prohibition, long before Al Capone became a household name, a German immigrant named George Remus quits practicing law and starts trafficking whiskey. Within two years he's a multi-millionaire. The press calls him "King of the Bootleggers," writing breathless stories about the Gatsby-esque events he and his glamorous second wife, Imogene, host at their Cincinnati mansion, with party favors ranging from diamond jewelry for the men to brand-new Pontiacs for the women. By the summer of 1921, Remus owns 35 percent of all the liquor in the United States. Pioneering prosecutor Mabel Walker Willebrandt is determined to bring him down. Willebrandt's bosses at the U.S. Attorney's office hired her right out of law school, assuming she'd pose no real threat to the cozy relationship they maintain with Remus. Eager to prove them wrong, she dispatches her best investigator, Franklin Dodge, to look into his empire. It's a decision with deadly consequences: with Remus behind bars, Franklin and Imogene begin an affair and plot to ruin him, sparking a bitter feud that soon reaches the highest levels of government--and that can only end in murder. Combining deep historical research with novelistic flair, The ghosts of Eden Park is the unforgettable, stranger-than-fiction story of a rags-to-riches entrepreneur and a long-forgotten heroine, of the excesses and absurdities of the Jazz Age, and of the infinite human capacity to deceive"-- Provided by publisher.
"June 1925. Audacious Appalachian flapper Geneva "Gin" Kelly prepares to trade her high-flying ways for a respectable marriage to Oliver Anson Marshall, a steadfast Prohibition agent who happens to hail from one of New York's most distinguished families. But just as wedding bells chime, the head of the notorious East Coast rum-running racket -- and Anson's mortal enemy -- turns up murdered at a society funeral, and their short-lived honeymoon bliss goes up in a spectacular blaze that sends Anson back undercover ... and into the jaws of a trap from which not even Gin can rescue him. As violence explodes around her, Gin must summon all her considerable moxie to trace the tentacles of this sinister organization back to their shocking source, and face down a legendary American family at a rigged game it has no intention of losing. June 1998. When Ella Dommerich's ninety-something society queen aunt Julie ropes her into digging up dirt on Senator (and Presidential candidate) Franklin Hardcastle in order to settle old family scores, she couldn't be less enthusiastic. Pregnant Ella's recently ditched her unfaithful husband and settled into cozy -- if complicated -- domesticity with her almost-too-good-to-be-true musician boyfriend, Hector. But then the Hardcastle secrets lead to a web of shady dealings Ella's uncovered in her job as a financial analyst, and the bodies start to tumble out of the venerable woodwork. With the help of her ex-husband and her mysterious connection to a certain redheaded flapper, Ella digs up more than mere dirt -- only to discover herself standing alone between a legendarily ruthless family and the prize it's sought for generations. What ugly secrets lurk in the opulent enclaves -- and bank accounts -- of America's richest families? And can two determined women from two different generations thwart the murderous legacy of the demon liquor?" --. Provided by publisher.
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