The Crusaders (repeal of alcohol prohibition)
Encyclopedia
The Crusaders was an organization founded to promote the repeal of prohibition
in the United States. Prominent Crusaders included Alfred Sloan, Jr.
, Sewell Avery
, Cleveland Dodge, and Wallage Alexander.
The organization was founded in May 1929 as a local Cleveland group under the leadership of Fred G. Clark, who later said they were motivated by the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
in Chicago, an outbreak of violence between rival bootleggers. At the start of 1930, the organization decided to organize young men nationwide. They eventually claimed membership of one million, though the claim is dubious. The organization had serious financial problems by the fall of 1931 and was never significant nationally. In Michigan, it drew its membership largely from the ranks of young, male Republicans and worked to elect "wet" Republicans to offices at all levels of government. One account of the organization by a proponent of prohibition said its membership was made up of the sons of members of the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
.
The Crusaders published a magazine called The Hot Potato, the name of which was meant to describe how prohibition was a political issue that politicians could not handle. The organization endorsed no candidate in the presidential election of 1932
.
Repeal of Prohibition
The Repeal of Prohibition in the United States was accomplished with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 5, 1933.-Background:...
in the United States. Prominent Crusaders included Alfred Sloan, Jr.
Alfred P. Sloan
Alfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman, and CEO of General Motors Corporation...
, Sewell Avery
Sewell Avery
Sewell Avery was an American businessman.Born in a wealthy family of lumber barons in Michigan, Avery attended public schools in Saginaw and Detroit and the Michigan Military Academy. He was a financier of the American Liberty League and a National Advisor for one of its front organizations, the...
, Cleveland Dodge, and Wallage Alexander.
The organization was founded in May 1929 as a local Cleveland group under the leadership of Fred G. Clark, who later said they were motivated by the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
St. Valentine's Day massacre
The Saint Valentine's Day massacre is the name given to the 1929 murder of 7 mob associates as part of a prohibition era conflict between two powerful criminal gangs in Chicago: the South Side Italian gang led by Al Capone and the North Side Irish gang led by Bugs Moran. Former members of the...
in Chicago, an outbreak of violence between rival bootleggers. At the start of 1930, the organization decided to organize young men nationwide. They eventually claimed membership of one million, though the claim is dubious. The organization had serious financial problems by the fall of 1931 and was never significant nationally. In Michigan, it drew its membership largely from the ranks of young, male Republicans and worked to elect "wet" Republicans to offices at all levels of government. One account of the organization by a proponent of prohibition said its membership was made up of the sons of members of the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment was established in 1918 and became a leading organization working for the repeal of prohibition in the United States.- Background :...
.
The Crusaders published a magazine called The Hot Potato, the name of which was meant to describe how prohibition was a political issue that politicians could not handle. The organization endorsed no candidate in the presidential election of 1932
United States presidential election, 1932
The United States presidential election of 1932 took place as the effects of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, the Revenue Act of 1932, and the Great Depression were being felt intensely across the country. President Herbert Hoover's popularity was falling as...
.
Sources
- Spivak, John. The Crusaders. New Masses, February 5, 1935.