Prohibition

1356 Words3 Pages

English III Honors P. 1 Mrs. Robinson 4 May 2004 “Prohibition: The Noble Experiment” “Prohibition, sometimes referred to as the noble experiment, did not achieve its goals. It did the exact opposite by adding to the problems that it was intended to solve” (Thorton). It is also considered to be the thirteen years that damaged America. On January 16, 1920 one of the most disobeyed laws was put into effect. The 18th amendment, also known as Prohibition, was ineffective and caused more corruption in America with the rise of organized crime and the increase in alcohol consumption. Prohibition had many different purposes; one was to reduce the consumption of alcohol by Americans. This was going to fail no matter what because if you are told not to do something only going to want to do it more. That is just human nature. It also focused on reducing crime, corruption, poverty, death rates, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America (Thorton). Not only did it not accomplish this but it did the exact opposite. And lastly it focused to improve the economy and the quality of life. Theoretically Prohibition was feasible, but in reality it had too many flaws. For one it was unenforceable. This is defiantly the biggest problem. What good is law if you can not enforce it? Fiorella H. LaGuardia was a prominent New York City politician who served several terms in the House of Representatives. He said, “It is impossible to tell whether Prohibition is a good thing or a bad thing. It has never been enforced in this country.” Even he was a realist that could see that this experiment was going to fail. Prohibition was not a new concept for Americans in the 1920’s. In fact, it was part of society since the 1600’s. The feminist movement originated early in the 1800's. Until the 1870's, however, feminine involvement in the temperance effort was largely peripheral. The Women's Crusade of 1873 and the organization of the Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1874 marked the formal... ... middle of paper ... ...ed 1. Behr, Edward. Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1996. 2. Bowen, Ezra, Ed. This Fabulous Century: Vol. 6. New York: Time Life Books, 1969 3. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Trans. Constance Garnett. New York: Bantam, 1981. 4. McGrew, Lang. “History of Alcohol Prohibition.” Online. 13 April 2004. http://www.druglibrary.org./schaffer/LIBRARY/studies/nc/nc2a.htm. 5. McWilliams, Peter. “Prohibition: A Lesson In The Futility (and danger) Of Prohibition.” Online. 13 April 2004. http://www.mcwilliams. com/books/aint/402.htm 6. Thorton, Mark. “Policy Analysis: Alcohol Prohibition Was A Failure.” Online. 17 July 1991. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-157.html

Show More
Related

  • Okrent’s Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

    1451 Words  | 3 Pages

    Okrent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. New York: Scribner, 2010. Print.

    Read More

  • The Hopes and Realities of Prohibition

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    The hopes of the prohibitionist were dreams of a healthier and more successful nation. Their dreams were spun from the idea of shutting out the alcohol industry and enforcing large industries and stressing family values. The eighteenth amendment consisted of the end of sales, production, transportation, as for importation and exportation of intoxicating liquors. Their imaginations were large and very hopeful. The prohibitionists felt that alcohol is a slow poison of their community. They felt that if the liquor industry was shut out that Americans would spend their hard earned money in the clothing, food, and shoe industries therefore boosting the American economy. Many felt, “Seeing what a sober nation can do is indeed a noble experiment and one that has never yet been tried, (Crowther, 11) Prohibition was a test of the strength of the nation and an attempt at cleaning up societies evils. These reformers denounce alcohol as a danger to society as well as to the human body. Some ethnic hopes of prohibition was to regulate the foreigners whose backgrounds consisted on the use of alcohol for religious purposes. And try to enforce an American valued society upon them. Many reformists felt that ending the use of alcohol would protect American homes and families. They felt that alcohol use was the root of their family’s destruction. Many women felt that their husbands would waste a lot of their income on the purchase of alcohol and not on family needs. Alcohol was often known as a “poison, or sin”. Another hope for the eighteenth amendment was to reduce the crime and death rate. Many people felt that drunkenness was the cause of many of the nations crimes. Prohibitionist felt very passionately on their cause and were often called “dry’s.” They felt their battle was justified and that, “it is manifest destiny that alcohol will not survive the scrutiny,”(Darrow and Yarros, 20).

    Read More

  • The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Last Call,” provides the answers and explanations to these two questions and the historical viewpoint on the Prohibition Era. Daniel Okrent, who has authored four other books and is the first public editor of The New York Times, views Prohibition as one clash in a larger war waged by small-town white Protestants who felt overwhelmed by the forces of change that were sweeping their nation. He explains that this is a theory that was first proposed by the historian Richard Hofstadter more than five decades ago. Though many books and historical accounts have been written about Prohibition since then, Okrent offers an original account, which shows how its advocates combined the nativist fears of many Americans with legitimate concerns about the...

    Read More

  • Prohibition Synthesis Essay

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    Economically, an end to prohibition would help strengthen the unstable situation in America: ending unproductive government spending as well as bringing new money into the system. Repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment would also meet social demands brought about by the crisis. Those facing hard times wanted to drink, and wanted an end to the law to allow them to do so more easily; thus the Great Depression added to the support for social groups already campaigning for its repeal. Both the economic and social effects of the Depression make it an important reason for the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, a concept supported by historian Joseph Gusfeld. However, this aspect, rather than directly causing the repeal of national prohibition, was the accelerating factor which catalysed the passing of the Twenty-first Amendment.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • Speakeasies In The 1920s

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    Idea of the Prohibition was to reduce crime rates, poverty, and to improve the quality of life.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Prohibition

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Prohibition or the Eighteenth Amendment was a huge failure for a law in 1920. There were many factors that led to its downfall that included illegal means, rise of gangsters, and the Twenty- First Amendment. Despite the Prohibition, it did not stop the people from drinking it and accessing it through thousands of speakeasies. It became a most lucrative business for criminals that led to dangerous competition. In 1933, the failed amendment was repealed and most people rejoiced that alcohol was legal again. The Eighteenth Amendment was an experiment that went horribly wrong and did absolutely nothing to bring any positive change. This was proof “that you don’t have to be drunk to come up with a really, really, bad idea.” (Carlson. 141)

    Read More

  • Prohibition Dbq

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    The real reason the Prohibition Act was passed is not because the Legislation had voted for it, but rather the large amount of supporters it had. 33 out of 48 states had already passed the laws within 1920. The direct support was mainly coming from the South, which the number grew from 1820’s to 1840’s. These groups mainly campaigned against the outcome of drinking alcohol. Woman’s groups were behind many temperance movements for they were targets of abuse due to drunken husbands. Many times drinking was blamed upon the economics and the changes it has undergone.

    Read More

  • The Backlash of Prohibition

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prohibition not only failed in its promise to curb the social problem created by alcohol. It actually promoted s...

    Read More

  • Prohibition - 'The Noble Experiment'

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prohibition was designed to rid the country of businesses that manufactured, sold, and or distributed alcoholic beverages. The eighteenth amendment made it a violation of the constitution to do and of the before mentioned. This was a crime punishable up to the Supreme Court. The original idea was that Americans as a whole were unhealthy, there was too much crime and corruption, and that people were being burdened by excess taxes that poorhouses and prisons were creating. What happened? The cheap alcohol being illegally produced killed more Americans, crime and corruption went up, taxes were raised to fund the law enforcement needed to enforce prohibition, and the prisons became overcrowded.

    Read More

  • Prohibition in Canada

    626 Words  | 2 Pages

    All in all prohibition proved out to be a lost cause, it did not work out well for the society or the economy of Canada, it was an effort put forward by people that thought strongly about prohibition in an effort to purify the society as a whole and start a new economy that peoples will put more money into the economy. Prohibition did not work at all. It just made crime rise, like bootlegging and smuggling liquor. But they might as well face it, the people wanted to drink and the government wanted money.

    Read More

  • Impact of Prohibition in The Great Gatsby

    1664 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Temperance & Prohibition." Table of Contents | Temperance & Prohibition. Ohio State University, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Prohibition in the 1920s

    569 Words  | 2 Pages

    " First, the adage is a slam. prohibition was a popular step. Supporters of prohibition, who? endorsed the law, believed that it would help the poor because paychecks would not be wasted on alcoholic beverages, which was done. by many people during this time, many of whom had starving children. Many industrial leaders of the time, such as Rockefeller, Ford, and Carnegie, all supported prohibition because they believed that alcohol decreased productivity of workers.

    Read More

  • The Success and Failure of the Prohibition

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Prohibition had good intent, but it ultimately failed. Criminal activity rose rapidly and the economy fell harshly. America originally supported the Prohibition, but it eventually turned against it. The Prohibition lasted nearly fifteen years, but its legacy lives on. Nowadays the modern problem that closely mirrors the Prohibition is the war on drugs. Their illegal manufacture and sale is similar the manufacture and sale of alcohol during the Prohibition. History repeats itself.

    Read More

  • Prohibition in the Great Gatsby

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    The. Nishi, Dennis. A. Prohibition. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2003. Print.

    Read More

  • Prohibition DBQ Essay

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, many saw alcohol as a cause of instability among communities. To counteract the effects of alcohol on American society, The Temperance Movement, Prohibition Party and many others sought to enact anti-liquor laws that would prohibit the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. On January 19, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment had taken effect and a nationwide ban on alcohol was enacted. This was thought of as a solution to the many problems that America had at the time, but it only made matters worse. The American society had been greatly affected by the Eighteenth Amendment in many negative aspects such as increasing crime and violence, worsening the economy, and much more.

    Read More

More about Prohibition

Open Document