Social Change
This week we are looking at one of the biggest questions in social change: can you legislate people into changing their behavior, or does real change have to come from within a culture first?
To explore this, you will read two short articles that take different positions on the same historical case — the Temperance Movement and Prohibition.
How This Works:
This is a point/counterpoint discussion. That means:
1. Read both articles below. They disagree with each other — that is the point.
2. In your original post, take a position. You do not have to fully agree with one article or the other, but you should engage with both and explain where you stand and why.
3. In your reply, respond to a classmate who took a different position than you — or if you agree with them, push their thinking further by adding a new example or raising a question they did not address.
The Articles
Article A — "What Today's Reformers Can Learn From the Temperance Movement" (Liberal Currents)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/what-todays-reformers-can-learn-from-the-temperance-movement/
This article argues that while Prohibition itself failed, the broader temperance movement actually succeeded. Americans drink significantly less today than they did in the 1800s. The lesson: persuasion and cultural change outlast coercion.
Article B — "The Temperance Movement and Prohibition" (Encyclopedia.com)
https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/temperance-movement-and-prohibition
This article tells the more familiar story: well-intentioned reformers pushed for a constitutional amendment, and the result was a disaster — organized crime rose, personal freedoms were curtailed, and the law was eventually repealed.
Your Prompt
The temperance movement succeeded as a cultural shift but failed as a law. What does that tell us about the limits of using legislation to change behavior? Can you think of a parallel today — a situation where the law and public opinion are pulling in different directions?
Requirements
- Original post: 200 words minimum, due Saturday by 11:59 PM
- Reply to one classmate: 100 words minimum, due the following Monday by 11:59 PM
- Use specific details from the articles to support your argument
- Be respectful of different viewpoints — this is a debate, not an argument