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"A Bitter Wet-Dry Fight:" How an Infantry Regiment Influenced the Nebraska Prohibition Vote of 1944

Bauman, Lindsey M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu149753203369463

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, History.
This thesis examines the often-overlooked connection between the home front and battle front during World War II, specifically between Nebraska communities and the 134th Infantry Regiment, which was originally part of the Nebraska National Guard. The Allied Dry Forces of Nebraska petitioned to put a prohibition initiative on the state ballot during the election of 1944, while thousands of servicemen were overseas. This case study discusses the ways in which Nebraska residents and servicemen responded to it. Most significant was a petition from members of the 134th Infantry, which was sent to the Committee of Men and Women Against Prohibition to denounce the initiative due to the timing of its proposal. Already viewed as important figures in the war in Europe, their military service gave their voices more credence within the community. A vote against the initiative was portrayed by anti-prohibitionists as a way to support the troops, a resident’s patriotic duty during World War II. The servicemen became an essential point of contention and their unexpected involvement in the election ultimately resulted in a bitter struggle between individuals and organizations on both sides. This case study examines how their petition, as well as the letters of other servicemen, impacted the outcome of the vote on the initiative during the election in November.
Rebecca Mancuso (Advisor)
Amilcar Challu (Committee Member)
Benjamin Greene (Committee Member)
104 p.
American History; Armed Forces; History; Military History; Modern History; Regional Studies
Nebraska; World War II; Prohibition; 134th Infantry Regiment; Butler B Miltonberger; Allied Dry Forces; Committee of Men and Women Against Prohibition; Keith Neville; Harold D Wilson; Election; 1944; Politics; Morality; Patriotism

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Bauman, L. M. (2017). "A Bitter Wet-Dry Fight:" How an Infantry Regiment Influenced the Nebraska Prohibition Vote of 1944 [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu149753203369463

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Bauman, Lindsey. "A Bitter Wet-Dry Fight:" How an Infantry Regiment Influenced the Nebraska Prohibition Vote of 1944. 2017. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu149753203369463.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Bauman, Lindsey. ""A Bitter Wet-Dry Fight:" How an Infantry Regiment Influenced the Nebraska Prohibition Vote of 1944." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu149753203369463

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu149753203369463
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© 2017, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License "A Bitter Wet-Dry Fight:" How an Infantry Regiment Influenced the Nebraska Prohibition Vote of 1944 by Lindsey M Bauman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.