Regulating Bodily Care in the Pre-Prohibition Era: Landscapes of Morality in 1900s Washington, DC

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Archaeology of Urban Dissonance: Violence, Friction, and Change" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

As the nation’s capital, Washington, DC was designed and governed as an intended ideological model for the nation. In this paper, I contextualize and explore the history of Washington, from its initial plan, which sought to use elevation and lines of sight to center built symbols of democratic governance, through the present day. Throughout history, Washington was used by lawmakers as a trial case, where nationwide legislation, such as Emancipation and Prohibition, were first tested on a local scale. Using excavated archaeological collections, GIS, and documentary materials, I focus particularly on the early 20th century, a period of increased racial segregation, the beginning of governmental regulation of medicine, and a dramatic increase in medicine branding and marketing, alongside the first World War and the 1918 influenza pandemic. Using the tools of landscape theory and spatial analysis, I analyze changing patterns of medicine regulation and access in 1900s Washington, DC.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeology of Urban Dissonance: Violence, Friction, and Change   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology