Prohibition

The prohibition started in 1919 when the 18th amendment was passed. This amendment

was about the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and

consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. Then 18th amendment did not mention the

basics of drinking alcohol. So that part was not illegal this is a loophole for people who enjoyed

alcohol.

Societies mostly made up of women started a Temperance Movement. This movement

was made to attempt to dissuade people from becoming intoxicated. People part of this

movement blamed alcohol on the murder and crime going on in the society. Temperance

movement was meant to prevent accidents in workplace which was caused by the people who

would come to work intoxicated. Then it was also supposed to keep men from hitting woman

because they thought alcohol was the cause of this. Also women thought men were spending

all the family money on alcohol, which also would prevent this from happening, or that’s what

the members wanted. Another loophole for people being able to drink during the prohibition

was the Volstead Act which allowed alcohol consumption if it was prescribed by a doctor. That

resulted in a ton of written prescriptions for alcohol. Al Capone was one of the most famous

gangsters during this time.

Prohibition became a failure because of how bad crime started to get. Bootleggers and

gangsters started to sell the alcohol illegally. They saw this strategy as profit. At that point they

basically were in control of the distribution of alcohol. After crime got so bad, people started

thinking more about this amendment that was made. Even from the beginning of the

ratification of the 18th amendment organizations formed to abolish it. People wanted liquor

back! To add to the public wanting alcohol back, the Great Depression started changing many

people’s opinions. If alcohol was made legal again, more jobs would open up, and additional

sales taxes would be made. The need for money made the 21st amendment to the U.S.

Constitution ratified in the late 1920’s. This amendment repealed the 18th amendment. Which

meant alcohol was legal again! This was the 1st and only time an amendment has been repealed

in the U.S. Constitution.

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/p/prohibition.htm