Prohibition

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Prohibition

The 18th amendment, known as prohibition, had America in fits when it was ratified in 1919. The government was hoping to achieve a healthier, efficient society with good morals and a break for women from receiving beatings from drunken husbands. Although the motives behind prohibition were reasonable, it was so corrupted from the beginning that it never could have successfully been carried out. America became a lawless period, and many Americans felt that if they could get away with ignoring one law, then they did not have to follow any others (Axelrod 239). However, it may have been necessary for the progression of America for it accomplished a great many other feats other than sobering up citizens. Women fought actively for prohibition, but viewpoints change, and if you were not already against the amendment, chances are you would be soon enough. Prohibition was set up for failure, but was it reasonable to occur in America?

Who did prohibition effect? It was more like who didn’t prohibition effect? America was split between those who cared for the cause, and those who were persistently pursuing a repeal of the amendment. The government as a whole was pro-prohibition, of course, since they, along with some persuasion from groups such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, ratified the amendment in the first place (Lerner 171). Despite this, not all government officials were for the cause, and turned a blind eye to the making of selling of alcohol; that or they themselves would become bootleggers. A new form of gangsters, bootleggers’ felonies of selling alcohol became a very profitable business (Kyvig). After all, something is only worth as much as someone else is willing to pay for it, and Americans were more t...

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...orally, but their physical health improved as well (Kyvig).

As well, one of the problems present with alcohol is the abuse, and women having to be on the receiving end of this torrent. Once Americans cleaned themselves up, not only did women break free of beatings, but also rose up to receiving their own rights and being an equal to man (Lerner 171). With this, America achieved its goal, making prohibition reasonable to occur.

Works Cited

Axelrod, Alan. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to American History. Broadway: Alpha, 1996. Print.

Kyvig, David E. “Prohibition.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2012.

Lerner, Michael A. Dry Manhattan. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2007. Print.

Moor, Lucy. Anything Goes: A Biography of the Roaring Twenties. New York: Peter Mayer, 2010. Print.

Pietrusza, David. The Roaring Twenties. San Diego: Lucent, 1998. Print.

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