Melanie, I am sorry, but I do not know the answer to your question.  My
guess is that there were lots of local and maybe even state laws in the
19th century regulating the drinking of young people.  Generally, until
recently, one had to reach the age of 21 before being considered an adulty.

At 06:36 PM 11/13/98 -0500, you wrote:
>I take AP US History at my school and one day in class, while discussing the
>Temperance Movement of the 1800's, a question about drinking laws came up.
>The question asked was, in what year was the first law establishing a minimum
>age for drinking alcohol enacted?  Also, what was the original minimum age
for
>drinking alcohol set at?  My teacher didn't know the answer and offered to
>give extra participation points to anyone who could find the answer.  I
>searched all over the internet and could not find the answer.  I would
greatly
>appreciate it if you could help me find the answer to these questions.
Thanks
>for your help.
>
>Melanie
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K. Austin Kerr
Professor of History, Ohio State University
Columbus Ohio 43210
voice: 614-292-2613
fax:    614-292-2282
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.history.ohio-state.edu/people/kerr.htm