Article
Review: Dry Manhattan: Prohibition in New York City
Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies
(2010)
Abstract
Lerner’s book is well organized and functions in a classic case-study format: analyzing a localized aspect in detail, but applying its historical lessons at a broader level. In Dry Manhattan, the author studies New York City and applies the lessons to American prohibition in general. Lerner begins his book by emphasizing the political roots of prohibition and briefly discussing the unique environment which allowed its inception. Lerner adheres to his formula by focusing on the Anti-Saloon League lobbyist efforts in NYC, specifically the arrival and effectiveness of New York State Superintendant William H. Anderson. However, in Lerner’s opinion New York had a larger importance, stating that “Anderson’s success or failure in New York would prove critical to the national campaign for Prohibition. . . . While New York was only one state, it loomed larger than most in the battle for a dry United States” (8). The Anti-Saloon League believed that New York would serve as a symbol for the larger movement—the idea being that if the League could succeed in the nation’s most notable “ethnic city,” a point which made it [End Page 360] “the state most hostile to its cause,” it could succeed anywhere (13). Lerner’s treatment on the origins of Prohibition exemplifies his style used throughout the book, using an extremely detailed record of New York City’s experience and then, when appropriate, giving his work a wider meaning by proving its pitfalls were universal.
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Keywords
- American Prohibition
Disciplines
Publication Date
Summer 2010
Citation Information
Jordan Lieser. "Review: Dry Manhattan: Prohibition in New York City" Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies Vol. 77 Iss. 3 (2010) p. 360 - 363 ISSN: 0031-4528 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jordan-lieser/4/