Prohibition: The Cause Of Crime In The United States

Prohibition in the United States was an extent intended to decrease drinking by removing the businesses that produced, dispersed, and retailed alcoholic beverages. The 18 Amendment made an approval to the United States Constitution that bared the production, transference and trade of hallucinogenic liquors. Conversely, this piloted a historical Crusades recognized as the Prohibition movement (Asbury, 1950). At that time the well-known temperance movement was demanding and had little or no affect even though the legislation was behind them. This was during the 20th century when they were recognized as the Volstead Act. Unfortunately, this sparked the illegal surge and fabrication of the distribution of liquor (referred as bootlegging), which created alternative areas the initiated gang fierceness and numerous crime activity that conquering of the Prohibition movement that terminated at the end of the 20’s (Levinthal, 2016). Unfortunately, the United States realized that the prohibition was very draining and costly and looked for other substitutions and approaches. Eventually, the nation surge of alcohol prohibition changed to local procedures of regulation.

health and said that by the men going to the saloons it was a risk for

With the passing of the eighteenth amendment in nineteen twenty banning the manufacturing, selling, and transportation of alcohol many thought the United States had entered a new social and economic era. The past few decades had seen alcohol break families, lead to an increase in crime, and overall poor health in the American people, and many were ready for this time of temperance to restore order (Scott, “Prohibition in the United States”). The truth, as many would learn eventually, was far from that. Prohibition led to widespread economic decline, an overwhelmed American government and a massive increase in the consumption and selling of alcohol in the United States through

“America had been awash in drink almost from the start – wading hip-deep in it, swimming in it, and at various times in its history nearly drowning in it.” 1 This quote proves to be correct, embodying American history beginning with the earliest American settlers to the present day. Keeping this fact in mind, how did the Temperance Movement gain enough strength to legally ban the manufacturing, selling, and transportation of alcohol in 1920? Through the determination and stamina of a multitude of factions throughout America from the early to mid 19th century, into the Progressive Era, federal legislation in the form of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America was passed. Beginning in the mid-1800s and

Prohibition, a word that defined an era. “The Eighteenth Amendment of the constitution was ratified in January 1919 and was enacted in January 1920, which outlawed the manufacturing of intoxicating beverages as well as the transportation of intoxicating liquors.” The forging of this amendment came from the culmination of decades of effort from many different organizations such as Women’s Christian Temperance Union as well as the Anti-Saloon League. When America became a dry nation on January 17, 1920, it would remain a dry nation for the next 12 years when it was finally repealed in December of 1933. This amendment being put into place caused tens of thousands of distilleries, breweries, and saloons across America to be compelled to close their doors, as America embarked on a very controversial era known as the Prohibition Era. Prohibition was being implemented on a national scale now and being enshrined in the Constitution no less. What followed was a litany of unintended consequences throughout America. Did prohibition really help America, or did prohibition trigger a landslide of problems in America?

Proponents of prohibition are quick to argue how crime technically decreased in its fourteen years before being repealed. While this is true for minor crimes of the times like mischief and vagrancy, organized crime saw a sharp increase once the Eighteenth Amendment outlawed alcoholic substances. While the Volstead Act was passed to enforce the amendment, and had an immediate amount of success, it was also attributed to an increase in the homicide rate to 10 per 100,000 population during the 1920s, a 78 percent increase over the pre-Prohibition period rate of 5.8 per 100,000.

A lot of things happened in 1920 – USA was one of the victors in the first World War, and had a good period. Soon that was changed and USA suffered from many things, the great crash, prohibition and gang wars. But not only bad things happened – there was also the new deal, new cultures, new poets and writers.

When the Prohibition era in the United States began on January 19, 1920, a few sage observers predicted it would not go well. Certainly, previous attempts to outlaw the use of alcohol in American history had fared poorly. When a Massachusetts town banned the sale of alcohol in 1844, an enterprising tavern owner took to charging patrons for the price of seeing a striped pig—the drinks came free with the price of admission. When Maine passed a strict prohibition law in 1851, the result was not temperance, but resentment among the city's working class and Irish immigrant population. A deadly riot in Portland in 1855 lead to the law's repeal. Now, Prohibition was being implemented on a national scale, and being enshrined in the Constitution no less. What followed was a litany of unintended consequences.

went up and more people were homeless and prisons became full. The courts and prisons

Alongside corruption and women’s efforts playing a large part in the Prohibition movement was violence alcohol consumption harbored. Alcohol led to an increased rate of domestic abuse as well as crimes such as theft, murder, and rape. The American Medical Association, at their annual meeting [Doc B] said, “[Alcohol’s] use in therapeutics, as a tonic, or a stimulant or as a food has not scientific basis… should be discouraged.” The AMA recognized that alcohol was detrimental to human behaviors and therefore should not have been consumed. This idea, one of the many, at the forefront of the prohibition movement led to the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment. Thomas D. West noted the number of dangers alcohol produces. He described his worries

Today’s teenager are look down upon regarding their behavior and ability to control themselves around alcohol beverage. In the article "Perils of Prohibition," by Elizabeth Whelan argues that the legal age to drink is not set to the appropriate age because moderate drinking for teens will help them be disciplined and actually take control of their life. He hopes to persuade her readers to speak out in favor of reforming the drinking age in the United States. Whelan provided valid argument for teenagers under the age of 21 with disciplined attitude towards alcohol and provides some compelling insights on the success of moderate drinking.

Throughout history, campaigns against certain parts of life are frequently argued upon. Wars are in a state of flux, but a constant in America's policies is the Drug War. The government attempts to prevent the consumption of illicit and harmful substances, even shown in modern domestic policies. Yet with much effort, positive results was not usually yielded. Apart from the outcomes, prohibition has made a large impact on daily life. In the United States, prohibition of alcohol and opium was a visible and controversial debate. The prohibition of alcohol and criminalization of opium were very different but still had some similarities such as the events that happened, its immediate reaction, and the lasting significance.

The 18th amendment was ratified by congress on January 16, 1919 in which the selling and distribution of “intoxicating liquors” was banned. That was the start of what many called the dry decade in the United States. Norman H. Clark’s Deliver Us from Evil: An Interpretation of American Prohibition illustrates the struggles to make the dry decade possible and the consequences that followed it. The 235 page text describes how the Anti-Saloon League was determined to make prohibition possible and the struggles they had to overcome. As well as what directly followed once it was a reality.

The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors. This ushered a period in the American history. This was known as Prohibition. Prohibition was difficult to force during the first decade of the 20th century. Bootlegging is the illegal production and sale of liquor. The increase of bootlegging, speakeasies, and the accompanying rise in gang violence and other crimes led to waning support for Prohibition. In 1933, the Congress had adopted a resolution. They proposed a 21st Amendment to the Constitution, which would repeal the 18th Amendment. The prohibition era came to a close by the end of that year.

Organized Crime as the Main Factor that Led to Failure of Prohibition In January 1919 the 18th Amendment outlawed the manufacture, transportation and sale of liquor, backed up by the Volstead Act which classify liquor as any drink which contained 0.5% alcohol or more.