Erenberg's 'Steppin' Out Analysis
“During his tenure in Maryland, William Anderson had come to embody a new American reform movement, a ‘dry crusade’ characterized by a desire to impose temperance on the United States, and especially on American cities, through lobbying, legislative efforts, and the enforcement of stricter liquor laws” (Lerner 7). He, along with the Anti-Saloon League, was determined to abolish the liquor trade in the United States of America. The Webb-Kenyon Act helped to bring them closer to their goals, banning the shipment of liquor into dry states. Because of this, Anderson decided to take his campaign a little further, moving North into New York. Anderson was determined to persuade New York as a whole to become a dry state because it was larger
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Erenberg’s essay “Steppin’ Out” in the book Major Problems in the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. In “Steppin’ Out,” Erenberg speaks on the dance craze that swept throughout the cities from 1912 to 1916. “Steppin’ Out” takes place a few years prior to the Prohibition movement, but it still gives a precedent for the movement. Erenberg tells his readers that dancing in public places was scandalous, but when it became publicly accepted, nightclubs began to blossom like magic. Exhibition dancers were the first of the kind, but by 1912, most cabarets installed dance floors in order for their guests to partake in the festivities. Hotels soon followed closely behind, and dancing became a regular, and one of the most popular, forms of entertainment, especially when drinking was involved. Some of these places charged an admission fee which included light refreshments while other places had free admission with the sale of tea and/or liquor. Many people began to visit these places regularly to partake in the festivities of dancing and drinking freely and legally, without the fear of judgment. This new dance craze set the precedent for the first stars of the cabaret. Prior to the time of the dance craze, those who wished to dance and drink had to do so in private settings, away from the public, to avoid being
Erenberg’s essay “Steppin’ Out” in the book Major Problems in the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. In “Steppin’ Out,” Erenberg speaks on the dance craze that swept throughout the cities from 1912 to 1916. “Steppin’ Out” takes place a few years prior to the Prohibition movement, but it still gives a precedent for the movement. Erenberg tells his readers that dancing in public places was scandalous, but when it became publicly accepted, nightclubs began to blossom like magic. Exhibition dancers were the first of the kind, but by 1912, most cabarets installed dance floors in order for their guests to partake in the festivities. Hotels soon followed closely behind, and dancing became a regular, and one of the most popular, forms of entertainment, especially when drinking was involved. Some of these places charged an admission fee which included light refreshments while other places had free admission with the sale of tea and/or liquor. Many people began to visit these places regularly to partake in the festivities of dancing and drinking freely and legally, without the fear of judgment. This new dance craze set the precedent for the first stars of the cabaret. Prior to the time of the dance craze, those who wished to dance and drink had to do so in private settings, away from the public, to avoid being