The Alcoholic Republic by W.J. Rorabaugh

During the nineteenth -century America was known for it's drinking abilities. The question some people want to know is "was early nineteenth-century America really a nation of drunkards" (Rorabaugh 5)? The United States was among the most addicted of nations, that in this respect it had out stripped all of Europe, and that "no other people ever indulged, so universally." Alcohol was looked upon as a disease like the plague and it was spreading wider and …

…gt; Just because Americans drank a lot of distilled spirits doesn't mean they were drunkards. Even today, many people drink but we can't call them alcoholics. I don't know if anyone could really determine if any country could be considered as drunkards. So was early nineteenth-century America really a nation of drunkards? The answer is no, they were just enjoying themselves. Works Cited Rorabaugh, W. J. The Alcoholic Republic An American Tradition. New York: Oxford, 1976.