In 1903, Reverend Hoge, a minister of the Society of Friends of Lincoln, founded and was elected president of the Evangelical and Prohibition Association (PEA) of Loudoun County. This marked the start of a period of religious zeal that would spread across the county in support of Prohibition. Larry Malone, executive director of Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains and vice president of the Loudoun County Rural Development Council, noted that in 1914, 58% of Leesburg voters opposed statewide prohibition, while 54% of Loudoun County voters as a whole backed it. The types of corruption and violence that came with Prohibition in Loudoun and neighboring counties spread across the nation and increased in cities.
Richard Bailey, an educated man and resident of Loudoun County, established one of the first organizations in the area to tackle this issue. He was joined by other activists who sought to educate people about the dangers of alcohol and its consequences on society. Unfortunately, education in Loudoun County for African Americans did not extend beyond the seventh grade at this time. Families had to send their children to Washington or Manassas for higher education.
This lack of access to education further exacerbated the problems associated with Prohibition. Violence, corruption, hypocrisy, disregard for the law, and moral outrage spread across the country, Virginia and Loudoun County. The effects were felt by all members of society, regardless of race or gender. The Prohibition era had a lasting impact on Loudoun County and its citizens.
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