Lisa Anderson, Ph.D., associate professor of liberal arts and history at the Juilliard School in New York, will speak at UNMC on Oct. 5 about the rise of the Prohibition Party. The presentation will be at noon in the Sorrell Center, Room 3029.
Anderson’s presentation will trace the Prohibition Party’s successes and failures against the backdrop of several fascinating presidential elections, explaining how this struggling yet spunky cohort became the longest-living third party in American history.
When confronted with a choice between two undesirable options – the Democrats and Republicans — hundreds of thousands of frustrated temperance advocates, women, and former abolitionists turned to a new political organization: The Prohibition Party.
Why did so many Americans conclude that ending liquor consumption would not only uplift individuals, but overturn a corrupt political establishment? Why did they feel that Democrats and Republicans were not up to the challenge of making America sober?
The presentation is being given in conjunction with the exhibition “American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition,” on display at the Durham Museum from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The exhibition opens on Oct. 8.
Dr. Andersen is the author of “The Politics of Prohibition: American Governance and the Prohibition Party, 1869-1933.”
The UNMC presentation is offered through the Time Travelers partnership, which provides free museum admission for UNMC and Nebraska Medicine employees, students and their immediate families with valid identification. The partnership also offers lectures, workshops and other events on campus.