As part of the town-wide reading program this March focusing on the Prohibition era, the Dedham Library Innovation Team is hosting a panel discussion that gets to the heart of Prohibition. Can morals be successfully legislated?
At the turn of the 20th century, members of the Anti-Saloon League, a minority in America, genuinely believed that if they succeeded in making alcohol illegal, then slums, alcoholism, crime, poverty, and a whole host of social ills would disappear. However, Prohibition actually increased alcohol consumption and launched organized crime. By 1933, after more than a decade of extreme violence and rampant hypocrisy, Prohibition was lifted.
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Today, we face similar issues regarding the legalization of casinos and the "Death with Dignity" ballot question. How far can (or should) our government control individual freedoms?
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Join State Representative Paul McMurtry, Reverend Michael Hodges, the rector from St. Paul’s Church, Reverend Cheryl Kerr from Allin Congregational Church, attorney Matthew Harper-Nixon, and Dedham historian Bob Hanson to discuss this timeless topic. How far can a government successfully legislate moral issues?
For more Dedham Reads Together events, go to www.DedhamLibraryInnovationTeam.com
