Gale Encyclopedia of American Law Volume 1 P23 fully illuminates today's leading cases, major statutes, legal terms and concepts, notable persons involved with the law, important documents and more. Legal issues are fully discussed in easy-to-understand language, including such high-profile topics as the Americans with Disabilities Act, capital punishment, domestic violence, gay and lesbian rights, physician-assisted suicide and thousands more. | 208 ALCOHOL ILLUSTRATION BY GGS CREATIVE RESOURCES. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF GALE A PART OF CENGAGE LEARNING. . Consumer Spending on Alcoholic Beverages 1984 to 2007 source . Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact beer and wine were staples on the ships carrying settlers to the New World. In colonial times water and milk were scarce and susceptible to contamination or spoilage and tea and coffee were expensive. The Pilgrims turned to such alternatives as cider and beer and less frequently whiskey rum and gin. In 1790 per capita consumption of pure alcohol or absolute alcohol was just under six gallons per year. pure alcohol constitutes only a small percentage of an alcoholic drink. For example if a beverage contains 10 percent alcohol by volume one would have to drink ten gallons of it to consume one gallon of pure alcohol. Although the majority of the colonists drank alcohol regularly strong community social strictures curbed any tendency toward immoderation. Drunken behavior was dealt with by emphasizing the need to restore community harmony and stability rather than by imposing punishment. Alcohol consumption continued without much controversy until after the Revolutionary War when whiskey and other distilled spirits became valuable commercial commodities. When Congress imposed an excise tax on the farmers who produced liquor in the 1790s they resisted paying the tax. Their resistance became known as the Whiskey Rebellion a protest movement of farmers who felt the tax placed an undue burden on their commercial activities. Before the nineteenth century farming was the predominant occupation and although it involved grueling work it did not demand precision or speed. The Industrial Revolution brought millions of workers into factories where efficiency dexterity and rigid scheduling were necessary. With these economic changes came a shift in societal attitudes toward alcohol. Gone was the time when people considered the midday liquor break
