By Sara, Katherine, and AJ

Prohibition was the attempt to ban all alcohol being imported, exported, transported, and sold. Prince Edward Island was the first province to enact prohibition in 1901. The law of Prohibition was passed on January 16, 1920. So, all other provinces soon followed during the First World War. The government thought that Prohibition would stop crime, poverty and many more issues.

The main reasons for prohibition were as follows:

Economical- Many employers were drinking on the job , and work was not getting done properly. This made the companies less efficient. Many people also thought that all the money they put into alcohol went straight to Germany because that was where most of the brewer’s were. People did not want to help Germany’s economy, and instead wanted to use the money to buy other necessities.

Social- The government thought that this was the most important point of all. Husbands were spending all their money on alcohol, and none on the essential items for their families. This would soon lead to family arguments, and then divorce. This is why most women were involved in the anti-saloon groups.

Political- Politicians won many of their votes in rural areas because they backed up prohibition. This helped many politicians win their elections

Medical- Scientists found that alcohol was harmful to your body. By then, many men had sclerosis which is caused by alcohol. Soon many people started to die from this disease and many families started to have financial problems.

Speakeasies were establishments that sold illegal liquor . They were named speakeasies because it was a name that did not raise suspicion. The bartenders would tell their customers to be quiet and “speak easy”.

Speakeasies became more popular every year prohibition advanced. Police would raid the businesses, but most of the speakeasy owners had so much money that they would bribe police. Police usually agreed to these bribes and would just tell the owners when these raids were going to happen.

Bootlegging refers to the illegal making and transportation of alcohol. When the taxes of alcohol went up bootlegging started. Bootlegging really became popular during prohibition. Women were experts at smuggling alcohol because they would hide it in their dresses.

Two of the most famous bootleggers were “The Real McCoy” and Al Capone. “The Real McCoy” smuggled by sea and sold large quantities of illegal liquor. Al Capone was one of the richest and most powerful gangsters. He sold tons of illegal alcohol and got away from anyone who tried to catch him. The police found a way to get him in jail, and he stayed their for a decade. He was released because of his illness, syphilis, and later died in his home.

The government thought that prohibition would solve all the issues going on. Instead it made the crime rates go up, and gave the gangsters more power. Prohibition failed miserably because even though they closed the Saloons, speakeasies opened. Speakeasies would have higher prices then the Saloons would so the women still suffered with their husbands because they would spend even more money.

So, in 1933 Prohibition ended in all provinces but Prince Edward Island, which continued enforcing the law until 1948.

On the eve of prohibition the government thought it was going to solve all the crime problems, so that they started to sell most of their jails.

Early temperance believers thought that alcoholics would spontaneously combust and burn from the inside.

Believers also thought that smelling alcohol would cause birth defects for three generations.

Demonstration of what occurred during Prohibition

http://library.thinkquest.org/28892/prohibition/end/the_end.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum-runninghttp://www.geocities.com/rainforest/

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition