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Is it a new trend? No. Alcohol has been a part of the lives of people for centuries. Its uses vary from "worship ceremonies, " to "magic and medicine, " to celebration of "births, marriages, and initiations. " Like today, centuries ago people found drinking a delightful custom, however, intoxication has always caused social difficulty. One of the earliest records of alcohol regulation recovered is in Egyptian "temperance tract" which states Take not upon thyself to drink a jug of beer.
Thou speaker, and an unintelligible utterance issues from thy mouth. If thou falls down and thy limbs break, there is none to hold out a hand to thee. Thy companions in drink stand up and say: "Away with this sot. " And thou art like a little child. The use of alcohol is thought to have been first present among European culture and was later introduced to America during the years of colonization.
Americans soon found drinking to be a "pleasant custom" and often centered their lives around alcohol; it became part of " the social fabric of colonial America. " In the past, people did not know what 'alcoholism' was; therefore, they would go on abusing alcohol without giving it much thought. This abuse of drinking resulted in problems for those who drank and the people around them. The earliest found manuscript where the smoking of tobacco is documented is in Mayan archives which date back to prehistoric times. With the discovery of the New World, the explorers became exposed to tobacco, a plant that had been smoked for years by the Indians of North America. Columbus and the colonizers from Spain, found it strange that the Indians were "putting little rolls of dry leaves in their mouths and then setting them afire. " During the period of inquisition, it was first introduced to the European culture as a medicine brought to Europe by explorers. Subsequently, during the next few centuries, tobacco plantations grew everywhere and "smoking spread almost like a contagious disease from a few individuals to entire populations. " The Europeans of the 17 th century had the erroneous conviction that tobacco could be used to heal diseases, thus, its use became common in many countries.
In the 1800 's, technology furthered the spread of cigarette production when the rolling machine to manufacture cigarettes automatically, was devised. The "cigarette-making machine, " facilitated the production of cigarettes and halved the price of cigarettes, which now made it possible for lower-class individuals to purchase them. It quickly became popular throughout Europe, and assumed almost a reverential quality. During his reign, King James I of England stated that smoking tobacco was "unhealthy and immoral. " Yet, Sir Walter Raleigh (who served in the King's Court) opposed the King by making it "fashionable and a mark of distinction. " During the 1600 s, while tobacco was condemned in Europe as evil, it became one of the biggest cash crops grown in the colonies of America.
During the 1700 s, tobacco use and popularity kept climbing throughout the world and became a main crop for trade. During this time, pipes and snuff were common methods of smoking tobacco. "The use of tobacco continued to climb, fueled by a new cheap smoke the cigarette. " The Civil War contributed greatly to the spread of cigarette smoking in the United States. Soldiers at war smoked cigarettes as an inexpensive way of "consuming tobacco. " Once they got home from war, cigarettes were advertised by the soldiers to the rest of society. The creation of high speed machines resulted in cigarettes being produced in the 1880 s at an all time high up until this point in time.
The same effect was created by World War I where cigarettes were seen as an essential part of the war. According to a doctor of the war, cigarettes became an "indispensable comfort to the men. " During World War II, the situation with the soldiers was much like it was in World War I. After the first World War, there was a rise in women smokers; they wanted the same rights as men. The 40 s, soon thereafter, became known as the "Golden Age of Cigarette Advertisement. " In spite of medical advancement that informed of the dangers encompassed by smoking, the number of people that smoked rose. In fact, one of the popular songs of the late 40 s was entitled "Smoke!
Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette). " Immediately prior to the United States' entry into World War I, the tobacco industry took a major turn and expanded greatly. The associate professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey, Dr. John Slade, attributed the expansion of the cigarette industry to the enormous nationwide advertisement campaign of a tobacco corporation to vend one of its labels of cigarettes. These particular cigarettes were also sold cheaper than cigarettes of other marks. Cigarette companies flourished with the progression of World War II.
After World WII, the number of smokers still kept climbing due to the fact that during the war, cigarettes were an important crop during the war and soldiers were heavily dependent upon them. The United States took the liberty of shipping millions of cigarettes to its soldiers in France at no charge. This in turn caused a great increase in the amount of smokers. Not only was there an increase in the amount of smokers fighting at war, but there was also a large rise in the numbers of those smoking back home. Between 1910 and 1919, the manufacture of cigarettes increased from lower than 10 billion to seventy billion cigarettes.
During the 1960 s and 1970 s, the post World Wars period, the number of teenage smokers increased to exceed the numbers of adult smokers. As a matter of fact, records show that during the 60 's, cigarette sale in America reached a climax. The 60 's and 70 's often referred to as the "hippie era, " was a period of protest and a period of advocation of the freedom and the rights of people: a period of chaos. This time was a period when drugs including alcohol and cigarettes were supported and were experimented with mostly by teens rebelling against the government. In response to an increase in consumption of harmful substances, during the Kennedy years, Surgeon General's warnings were made to Americans to inform them on health issues regarding smoking and its consequences. In the following years, warnings continued to be issued to warn of the dangers of smoking, particularly on cigarette packs...
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Research essay sample on World War Ii European Culture
