The effect of drinking on our national story begins with the Pilgrims[清教徒]， who landed illegally[非法地] on Cape Cod. They had to land; they were running out of beer.

“We could not now take time for further search，”explained William Bradford， who would become ruler of the Plymouth Bay Colony，“Our foods and drinks being much spent， especially our beer.”If the Pilgrims had succeeded in going to Virginia， perhaps the American character would be slow-moving， polite and gentle instead of rude the Yankee.

Abigail Smith Adams is often thought of as a smart wife， who reminded her husband， President John Adams to remember the ladies. But perhaps you never know she was surrounded by alcoholics[灑鬼]. Her brother， two of her sons and two of her grandsons died of alcoholism. Like most alcoholics， they destroyed themselves， leaving the families sad.

There are more rising moments in the history of alcohol in America. One of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century-the assassination[暗杀] of President John F. Kennedy-was also affected by a bottle. The Secret Service men who guarded the president and the first lady， and who rode in the car behind them in the Dallas motorcade， had been out until the early hours of the morning at the local bar. Some had been drinking. How could they protect the president at a moment that changed American history？

Chief Justice Earl Warren certainly thought so. “Dont you think that if a man went to bed early， and hadnt been drinking the night before， he would be more watchful than if he stayed up until 3， 4 or 5 Oclock in the morning， doing some drinking？”he said.

Warren noticed that some passers-by had seen Lee Harvey Oswalds gun pointed out of the sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository. How did the Secret Service men miss that？ He wanted to know. Wouldnt they have been more likely to notice what was going on if they were“free from any of the results of alcohol and lack of sleep”？

Drinking is often invisible. It is a powerful， mostly unnoticed force shaping history and present events. Because it is legal， drinking goes unnoticed even when its effects are obvious.

Theres nothing wrong with drinking， but its role in human events should be recognized. Peoples lives were changed by what they drank， and this has changed who we are today.