Abraham Lincoln & His Intriguing Relationship With Alcohol

The Discovery Channel’s show ‘How Booze Built America’ explores the interesting and often conflicting nature of late great president Abraham Lincoln’s relationship with alcohol and how it played a significant part in the history of America.

Lincoln was well-known as being tea-total, even back then before medical science had pointed to the many dangers of alcohol, Lincoln already referred to it as the ‘Great Devastator.’
Despite the fact that he was aware of its drawbacks, Lincoln also knew how important it was in people’s lives and introduced a whiskey tax, which in effect funded the civil war and helped the North to win it.

In this clip from ‘How Booze Built America’ host Mike Rowe elaborates on just how important alcohol was back then and how Lincoln’s awareness of this importance played a hugely significant role.

Cool fact while we eagerly await the release of the Spielberg’s movie ‘Lincoln’: the 16th President of the United States was a licensed bartender who owned 3 taverns!

(Via Discovery Channel)

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