Keywords

Prohibition, Sanford, Court Records, Sanford Herald

Abstract

This thesis uses a microhistorical methodology to examine the social impact and lived experience of Prohibition in Sanford, Florida, and the surrounding area – an historically "dry" community. Historiographical claims from state, regional, and national studies are tested through data sampling of Sanford Municipal Court Records; close readings of more than 200 Sanford Herald articles; and an oral history with a local museum curator based on family tradition.

This is an evidence-driven thesis. A thirty-percent sampling of 23,000 Sanford Municipal Court Records covering the Prohibition era (1920-1933) enables detailed analysis of alcohol-related arrest and enforcement patterns based on race, gender, and age. The Sanford Herald is examined for editorial content classified into three categories: local enforcement reports, opinion pieces, and Prohibition-related news. The oral history is analyzed in connection with municipal records, newspaper articles, and secondary scholarship. Conclusions are presented textually and visually with graphs and an interactive digital map.

An underlying theme of this paper is the comparison of how the events of Prohibition unfolded at the local, regional, and national levels. Recent academic scholarship labels Prohibition as a vehicle for aggressive, targeted enforcement based on racial and economic factors. This work examines how this dynamic transpired in the local community of Sanford and the surrounding area.

Further, this thesis evaluates the methodological value of detailed local study via data, textual, and verbal sources. The municipal court records, while rich in arrest data and demographic detail, are most fruitful when used in combination with other sources. The Sanford Herald archive and oral history provide more culturally contextualized source materials to construct the lived experience. Sanford serves as an example of a small town's experience with Prohibition. This methodological approach is effective in both supporting and raising questions to the current historiography.

Completion Date

2024

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

French, Scot

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

History

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

DP0028403

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0028403

Language

English

Rights

In copyright

Release Date

May 2024

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Accessibility Status

Meets minimum standards for ETDs/HUTs

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