Prohibition Dbq

”Why did America change its mind on prohibition”? One main reason is because of it’s impact on law abiding citizens, another, is the effect of prohibition on people in government positions, and final is its’ influence on America’s economy.

In 1917, the 18th amendment was passed to ban the sale and manufacture of alcohol in the United States. The quality of alcohol was poor and many people became sick. Deaths from alcohol poisoning rose to 400% (Nash). People will argue that alcohol was less easily obtainable before prohibition since the bootlegging industry was so immense, you could purchase alcohol on almost any street in America.

Prohibition: Failures and Success By Jayden A. Mendoza "Prohibition only drives drunkenness behind doors and into dark places, and does not cure it or even diminish it." (Mark Twain). This quote perfectly encapsulates the impact and outcome of prohibition, and why it was bound to fail. Prohibition was not only a period of crime and homicide, but an experiment to see how Americans would respond to drastic change. Prohibition was a failure due to how difficult it was to enforce, illegal activity was on the rise, and that it was untaxable.

Alcohol is horrible for the body, but it might be good for the country. The 18th Amendment was approved on December 18, 1917 by Congress to take away alcohol in the United States. This was followed by the Volstead Act that defined a drink as intoxicating if it contained more than 1% alcohol. This eliminated beer, wine, and other soft liquors. America later repealed the Amendment.

The Volstead Act stated the actual rules from the eighteenth amendment but “had so many loopholes” that it was not going to be successful(Tindall & Shi 1032). The passage of the eighteenth amendment led to “speakeasies” which was another word for “illegal drinking” and bootlegging, which was the profit made from selling illegal liquor(Editors 1). Bootlegging led to the creating of many gangs and illegal activity. At first, gangs tried “smuggling foreign-made commercial liquor into the United States”(Editors 4).

Cole Sandbrook Mr. Thompson English 11 12 November 2014 Prohibition Research Paper The United States enforced the prohibition movement in 1920 to reduce the drinking of alcohol by eliminating businesses that produced and sold alcohol. When alcohol was made illegal it increased organized crime because of an increase of bootleggers. People who produced, sold, and transported alcohol illegally were known as bootleggers. Once authorities caught on to the bootleggers, they had to come up with better ways to transport the alcohol unseen.

The ratification stated that within one year, all manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes was to be strictly prohibited (George, Richards). This led to fear among alcoholics and mass manufacture of alcoholic beverages in preparation for the enforcement of this law. People began stockpiling alcohol in order to combat the amendment. Unfortunately for them, all reserves must run out, and as addicting as it is, alcohol is not an easy drug to give up, so by the time people had their alcohol taken away from them, they were willing to resort to illegal measures to get it back (Hanson). Illegal nightclubs known as “speakeasies” became second homes to many alcohol drinkers.

One reason America changed its mind about prohibition was because of economic reasons (money). The document states “ if the liquor now sold by bootleggers was legally sold, regulated, and taxed, the (tax) income would pay the entire local and National debt (Doc E).

Daniel Okrent’s book Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is a thorough history of the Prohibition era. Okrent’s narrative is an easy to follow and enjoyable read. During the first few pages of his book, Okrent clearly lays out the themes and ideas he will explore throughout. While Okrent demonstrates that January 17, 1920 brought Prohibition after the ratification of the 18th Amendment the year prior that banned the manufacturing, sale and transportation of alcohol, he also argues that the prohibition was far more complex than this amendment. Okrent argues that the 18th Amendment was a culmination of social and political movements, leading to the dryness of a country.

Guns, gangs, women, alcohol, gambling, are just some things that come to mind when I hear prohibition. According to the online source American History, The Prohibition is the act of prohibiting the manufacturing, storage, transportation, and sale of alcohol, including any alcoholic beverage. This led to the biggest crime rates of all time. At the head of all the crime was one man. His name, Alphonse Capone aka (Scarface) .

The prohibition outlawed alcohol to try and diminish the crime rate. This led to a higher consumption of alcohol and illicit speakeasies. As fast as the police closed down one venue, more would spring up in its place (Prohibition in the United States). Government intrusion with the Volstead Act of 1919 outlawed beverages over 0.5 alcohol volume

Prohibition was an amendment that caused the ban of alcohol and anything related to it. America was suffering because of alcohol, so prohibition was enforced. Little did the country know, prohibition would cause America to suffer far more. America was facing various problems due to alcohol such as death, crime, and loss of money. America expected to solve these problems by banning alcohol; never did the country expect the problems to worsen.

Ratified on January 16th, 1919, the 18th Amendment banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of liquor. This proved difficult to enforce, and, although it did help decrease crimes stemming from the consumption of alcohol, it led to a rise in organized crime in the production of alcohol; the alcohol bootlegging industry became more common—as well as more profitable. Widespread public cynicism led Congress to ratify the 21st Amendment in 1933, which repealed the 18th Amendment (the History Channel). The 18th Amendment forbade the production and commercial sale of alcoholic beverages.

Prohibition in the United States was a time of great change. Some of the change may have been for good and some for bad but either way almost every aspect of our society was affected by prohibition during those 13 years. In 1919 the National Prohibition Act or otherwise known as the Volstead Act put a constitutional ban on the manufacturing, selling, and transportation of alcohol. However, the Volstead Act did not ban people from being able to consume or be in possession of alcohol. People were thirsty and would go about smuggling alcohol in some very interesting and creative ways just to satisfy that thirst.

The 1920s was a time of entrepreneurship, big spending, and partying. At the heart of these parties was the popular 1920s activity of drinking, Which was threatened by prohibition. The law of prohibition came into effect on January 16, 1920 and was intended to end drinking and drunkenness. However this policy backfired and sent the American alcohol industry into black market functions.