Why was Prohibition such a controversial issue during the 1920’s

During the 1930s the average American that was 15 years or older would drink seven gallons of pure alcohol a year, three times more than the average American drinks now!1 Prohibition was sparked by women since they were the ones who suffered the most. Women did not have many rights, so when they got abused by drunk men it was seen as a small issue. Women and other groups eventually got 46 of the 48 states to ratify the 18th amendment on January 16,1919.2 The 18th amendment on article one says "...the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited."3 The first article on the 18th amendment is saying that the sale, making, or even bringing liquor into the United States or any of the United States' territory will now be illegal. Prohibition began to show its weakness right away when the United Sates government did not show much support. After the first year of prohibition the American people started to show less support and even led to organized crime. In 1933, the United States Constitution was amended to repeal the 18th amendment in the form of the 21st amendment.4 Even though prohibition seemed like a great idea it failed due to lack of support, illegal operations, and alcohol addictions that the American people had.

Prohibition in the United States was a built up reaction to alcohol and illicit drugs from the Temperance and other religious organizations beginning in the 1840s and intensifying during the Reconstruction Period. By using increasing pressure on legislators, lobbying through Churches and, of course, embarrassing public officials into a stance, these organizations forced the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in January 1919. This law prohibited the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States" (Prohibition Wins in Senate). Congress also passed the Volstead Act in October 1919, a way to enforce the law. Ironically, this became a public debate and conundrum because most large cities had neither the interest nor the manpower to enforce the law. In some areas, alcohol consumption did decline, but in urban areas there was a backlash of increased organized crime, and rather than government receiving taxes from legitimate businesses, it was crime monopolies that profited from this cash "crop." (Blocker).

From 1920 to 1933 the government had prohibited the making, selling, and consumption of alcohol. The general population was torn. Some people agreed and some did not. Those who opposed the Prohibition rebelled against the law. The Prohibition brought organized crime, bootlegging, corrupt police forces, speakeasies, and drastic economic effects.

Another reason for the introduction of prohibition was the issue of immigration and race. Many Americans and WASPs in particular associated immigrants with the drinking culture, especially the Irish and immigrants from the South, like Italians. This made them support prohibition as they feared that immigration would have negative economic effects and that immigrants would import revolutionary ideas, such as communism. Also Southern landowners wanted to prevent black labourers from getting distracted by drinks. And in addition eugenics became popular in US in the 1920s and their idea was that alcoholic genes could be passed down to the next generation, thus weakening the American race.

The US government got support from the Woman’s Organization for Prohibition Reform with major prohibitionist such as Susan B Anthony (Hong). These reforms claimed that “consuming liquor resulted in abusive relationships and broken families” (Stevens). So the Prohibition was mandated by the 18th amendment to the constitution. Prohibition was approved by 36 states on December 18th, 1917. However

Prohibition, the national ban on alcohol, was the main problem that surfaced about this time. According to Heller, prohibition had been around since 1851, however not on a national level. After they had passed the law in Maine many other states wanted to follow along. By 1917, thirty six states were “dry” or alcohol free. These states put laws in place to where it was illegal to transfer alcohol from a “wet” state to a “dry” one. They used the grain to support war efforts to get more people on board with prohibition which was seen as a way to honor the country. It did not take long for it to become a national law because many believed drunkenness prevented good income for families. The law was put into motion in January of 1920 making it the eighteenth amendment. However, many Americans did not fully support this because they felt that beer and wine were acceptable alcoholic beverages. Soon bootlegging became a major industry especially in places like New York City and Chicago where mobs got rich from this business. Organized crime became a new norm and law enforcement was extremely corrupt, so no one really stopped them. Violence also got worse, for example the Saint Valentine Massacre where a bloodbath between two gangs erupted. The life of the rich, boozed, and criminal continued, the celebration unstoppable it

First, the Prohibition Act, proclaimed in the 1920s, was not taken seriously by American society. The act was a

The prohibition of alcohol within the United States of America from 1920 to 1933 was highly ineffective in improving many social, political and economic aspects of society, and hence, was not beneficial. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1919 established the general framework for the prohibition, whilst the Volstead Act enabled the Amendment. It was hoped by Pressure groups in favour of enforcing prohibition, and general supporters of temperance, that the prohibition would create a utopia, but overall it evoked the opposite effect, as many continued to drink in secret “speakeasies” bars and suffer the negative heath effects of alcohol, the loss of liquor revenue affected the government in the long-term, the hypocrisy of politicians

Prohibition had a major impact on the 1920’s; it was the ban of alcohol in the United States for thirteen years. There were many controversial issues and topics created due to the different sides of the ban. “The

Prohibition was a very interesting era that lasted from 1919 to 1933 (Ian Tyrell). It was a time where crime was at its highest. People where breaking the rules like never before. Drinking was a tradition Americans have been doing for many generations. Putting a ban on this substance seemed to many an injustice. They felt as if the government were taking their rights away. Prohibiting this drink may have caused things to go for worse.

Prohibition was one of the most infamous legislation passed during the 1920s. Many political groups started a movement to ban alcohol prior to the 20th century. Progressives and traditionalist supported prohibition. Women played a strong role in the temperance movement, as alcohol was seen as a destructive force in families and marriages. In 1906, a new wave of attacks began on the sale of liquor, led by the Anti-Saloon League and driven by a reaction to urban growth, as well as the rise of evangelical Protestantism and its view of salon culture as corrupt and ungodly. In addition, many factory owners supported prohibition in their desire to prevent accidents and increase the efficiency of their workers in an era of increased industrial production and extended working hours. They believed that a ban on alcohol would help reduce unemployment, domestic violence, and poverty.

The 1920’s was a time of major social change in the United States. The social changes during this period are reflected in the laws and regulations that were implemented. One of the most prominent examples of this was prohibition. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution, or the Volsted act as it is also know, was implemented to eliminate the use of alcohol in the United States. In doing this, the advocates of prohibition hoped to also eradicate the social problems associated with alcohol. “It was an attempt to promote Protestant middle-class culture as a means of imposing order on a disorderly world”(Dumenil 226). However, this goal of keeping social order through not consuming alcohol, was not reached during the years of prohibition, or

A major impetus for the passage of a national prohibition law was World War I. “World War I made Prohibition seem patriotic, since many breweries were owned by German Americans” and it was feared that money spent on alcohol would be supporting the Kaiser and his propaganda, (www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=441). The Anti-Saloon League and the WCTU asked the compelling question “how could a government that called for maximum agricultural production…justify the wasteful use of grains for intoxicants?” (Parrish, 96). These points were extremely valid and the American people, at least in Congress, responded. It is unlikely that Prohibition would have passed without this sense of patriotic fervor and loyalty.

During the 1920s, due to the rise in temperance movements and religious drive to outlaw the consumption of alcohol, Prohibition was officially instated. Unprepared for by the government, a new illegal business opportunity resulted because many Americans were defiant towards the new amendment and were determined to drink as they saw fit. This was the illegal importation and distribution of liquor in the United States. Due to the enactment of Prohibition, the unlawful smuggling of alcohol provided economic opportunities for few but affected the majority with its health, legal, and safety risks.

During the early 1900 's, people in America were living with the drastic changes that the Civil War had inevitably brought. Under the United States Constitution, peoples lives, liberties and all their inclusive rights were protected throughout all of the Amendments. Included in these rights were the legal consumption of alcohol, as well as the distribution. With a danger of human life, and the moral of the Country, the U.S Government passed the Eighteenth Amendment. Prohibition was the Eighteenth Amendment, this banned the legal use, production, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States. Alcohol had been a rampant issue in the United States for a long time, the ban on alcohol was a victory for life, liberty, and growth in America.