Did you know that the legal drinking age was eighteen until 1987? In 1987, the legal drinking age was raised to twenty-one. Shouldn't the legal drinking age for Americans be lowered to the legal adult age of eighteen? Upon reaching the age of eighteen, any person may attend the altar without parental consent and may leave their guardian's home and live alone. Why should the government dictate what these adults can do when it comes to choosing to consume alcohol? How is it plausible that an eighteen year old adult can spend time in prison because he is considered an adult, but cannot go to a liquor store to buy a drink? How can an eighteen year old be allowed to vote and be able to protect our country by serving in the military, but legally cannot drink beer? Froma Harrop said it best when she asked, “The era of drinking has long been an uphill struggle. Is a nineteen year old mature enough to fight in Afghanistan, but not to order beer in a bar? Almost all other countries set the drinking age at eighteen. These issues are causing an extremely serious problem today and are stripping Americans of their freedom. There is no reason why an eighteen-year-old should be legally prevented from consuming an alcoholic beverage today. If people want to think of an eighteen year old as a twenty one year old, then an eighteen year old should be treated equally to a twenty one year old. Americans are arrested or fined every day for exercising what should be their legal right. A simple solution could be setting the law on the legal drinking age. One solution would be for the government... middle of paper...... the signing age in the United States is the highest and most ridiculous law of any state in the world. Our free country just doesn't seem as free if its people can't partake in something as simple as a glass of wine with their dinner or a champagne toast at their own wedding. Now is the time for American citizens to demand and maintain their well-deserved rights. Works Cited Hanson, David J., Ph.D. "The Legal Drinking Age: Science versus Ideology." Alcohol Problems and Solutions (2001): n. page. No recording. Internet. April 11, 2014. Harrop, Froma. “Age Discrimination for Youth.” Realclearpolitics.com. Np, February 9, 2010. Web. April 7, 2014. Heath, Dwight B. International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1995. Print.McCardell, John. “Let them drink at 18.” Let them drink at 6 p.m. New York Times, May 29, 2012. Web. April 11. 2014.