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Positive Effects Of Prohibition

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Effects of Prohibition
In the 1920s, a religious revival was spreading throughout the United States. The middle-class, through the legislation, sought to end sin in the United States and started with alcohol. On January 29, 1919, Congress passed the 18th Amendment, also known as The Volstead Act. The U.S. Constitution states, “After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors...beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.” Prohibition began when a town in Massachusetts banned the sale of alcohol, then Maine passed a state prohibition law. Prohibition began to spread like wildfire. Soon a total of 33 states passed their own prohibition laws. Enforcement of Prohibition proved to be harder than first thought. As soon as enforcement started, people began looking for ways around the law. In one instance, a tavern owner charged patrons a price to see a striped pig. Free drinks came with the price of admission. …show more content…

The Volstead Act only prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. The consumption and possession of alcohol were in the gray area of the Volstead Act. Pharmacists were allowed to prescribe alcohol as medication. The ability to prescribe alcohol lead to the increase of pharmacists in the United States. Home stills were completely illegal, but those wanting to partake in the use of alcohol found a gray area. “...Americans found they could purchase them at many hardware stores, while instructions for distilling could be found in public libraries in pamphlets issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The law that was meant to stop Americans from drinking was instead turning many of them into experts on how to make it” (Lerner). Grape industries also had their hand in it. They began selling kits of juice concentrate with a warning that if left out too long the juice would ferment and become

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