History Of Alcohol Prohibition

1420 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Temperance movement antebellum period

Alcohol Prohibition By: Sam Maggert Alcohol prohibition was called “The Noble Experiment”. (Thornton) Prohibition of alcohol existed from 1920 to 1933. When the government approved the 18th amendment it caused crime rates to increase drastically because citizens thought it was their right to consume. After the American Revolution, drinking was on the rise. To combat this, a number of societies were organized as part of a new Temperance movement which attempted to dissuade people from becoming intoxicated. At first, these organizations pushed moderation, but after several decades, the movement's focus changed to complete prohibition of alcohol consumption. (Brayton) By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a common fixture in communities across the United States. 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 (established in 1893) and driven by a reaction to urban growth, as well as the rise of evangelical Protestantism and its view of saloon 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. (History.com Staff) The Temperance movement blamed alcohol for many of society's ills, especially crime and murder. Saloons, a social haven for men who lived in the still untamed West, were viewed by many, especially women, as a place of debauchery and evil. Prohibition, members of the Temperance movement urged, would stop husbands from spending all the family income on a... ... middle of paper ... ...required to sell alcohol, and those that did still had difficulty obtaining alcohol to serve. Some legal establishments were forced to buy directly from speakeasies and bootleggers. Others opened up stock remaining from pre-Prohibition days as well as bottles purchased in the ensuing years under medicinal permits. (Brayton) President Roosevelt helped end prohibition. In 1933, wide spread disillusionment (disappointment) led congress to ratify the 21st amendment, which repealed prohibition. Prohibition didn’t achieve its goals; instead, it added to the problems it was intended to solve. They believed that prohibition would reduce the number of deaths, divorces, accidents, and poverty. This is ironic because the prohibitionists’ original plan back fired and did the exact opposite. The results of the experiment clearly indicate failure on all accounts. (Thornton)

Show More
Related

  • Antebellum Reform DBQ

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    During these times, domestic violence was commonplace and many blamed alcohol as the culprit. Reformers also noticed that alcohol decreased efficiency of labor and thought of alcohol as a menace to society because it left men irresponsible and lacking self control. One reformer, named Lyman Beecher, argued that the act of alcohol consumption was immoral and will destroy the nation. Document H depicts the progression of becoming a drunkard from a common m...

    Read More

  • Prohibition DBQ Essay

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    It also had some positive outcomes such as the development of music and film. By 1932, “creating jobs and revenue by legalizing the liquor industry had an undeniable appeal.”(History Staff). The American opinion on prohibition had changed and most regret having the ban in the first place. Democratic nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt had easily won the election by against Hoover. His platform included the appeal of the Eighteenth Amendment. On February, 1933, Congress passed the Twenty First Amendment which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment effectively ending the ban on alcohol. Even though some states still had the ban on alcohol after the end of prohibition, all states abandoned the ban by

    Read More

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

    1451 Words  | 3 Pages

    Enacting prohibition in a culture so immersed in alcohol as America was not easy. American had long been a nation of strong social drinkers with a strong feeling towards personal freedom. As Okrent remarks, “George Washington had a still on his farm. James Madison downed a pint of whiskey a day”. This was an era when drinking liquor on ships was far safer than the stale scummy water aboard, and it was common fo...

    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

    Although the temperance movement was concerned with the habitual drunk, its primary goal was total abstinence and the elimination of liquor. With the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, the well-organized and powerful political organizations, utilizing no holds barred political tactics, successfully accomplished their goal. Prohibition became the law of the land on January 16, 1920; the manufacturing, importation, and sale of alcohol was no longer legal in the United States. Through prohibition, America embarked on what became labeled “the Nobel Experiment.” However, instead of having social redeeming values as ordained, prohibition had the opposite effect of its intended purpose, becoming a catastrophic failure.

    Read More

  • Prohibition - 'The Noble Experiment'

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1920 congress began what was called "The Noble Experiment". This experiment began with the signing of the eighteenth amendment of the constitution into law. It was titled by society as Prohibition. Websters dictionary defines prohibition as: A prohibiting, the forbidding by law of the manufacture or sale of alcoholic liquors. Prohibition can extend to mean the foreboding of any number of substances. I define it as a social injustice to the human race as we know it.

    Read More

  • Temperance Movement In The 1800s

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    “By 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year – three times as much as we drink today – and alcohol abuse (primarily by men) was wreaking havoc on the lives of many.” In the 1800s millions of Americans took a pledge to refrain from drinking alcohol. This was known as the Temperance Movement. The temperance movement was a reaction to the increase of alcohol consumption throughout the nation. The opposition to drinking originally stemmed from heath and religious reformers. These groups were crucial to American society for their efforts to tighten social controls. During this era, there were multiple citizens who believed some individuals were living unethically. “These people feared that God would no longer bless the United States and that these ungodly and unscrupulous people posed a threat to America's political system. To survive, the American republic, these people believed, needed virtuous citizens.” Due to these

    Read More

  • The Antebellum Temperance Movement

    1743 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many may say that the Antebellum Temperance Movement was primarily motivated by religious moralism. I tend to take that stance as well. The Antebellum Temperance Movement of the 18th century was focused around the idea that people, mostly men, should abstain from alcohol if they could not drink the spirits in moderation. In this era, many women had suffered greatly because their loved ones would imbibe excessively leaving them short on money, food, and even shelter which left many impoverished and unable to care for their families. Additionally, the excessive consumption of alcohol led to health care issues, crime and in the end, destitution. The first author, W.J. Rorabaugh, is a proponent on the side of how Christian ministers, “portrayed liquor as the tool of the devil and develop temperance societies as socialization institutions to ease social tensions and anxieties that contributed to alcohol consumption,” (Madaras, L.; SoRelle, J. Pg. 256) Appositionally, John J. Rumbarger opposes by stating that, “the nineteenth–century temperance reform was the product of the pro-capitalist market economy whose entrepreneurial elite led the way toward abstinence and prohibitionist campaigns. In order to guarantee the availability for a more productive workforce,” (Madaras, L.; SoRelle, J. Pg. 256). I agree with W.J. Rorabaugh that during the Antebellum Temperance Movement, the church’s played an enormous role in prohibiting alcohol consumption because it was the “tool of the devil”.

    Read More

  • American Temperance Movement

    1817 Words  | 4 Pages

    The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have organized temperance movements, including Australia, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Poland, and of course, the United States. The American temperance movement was the most widespread reform movement of the 19th century, culminating in laws that completely banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. The movement progressed from its humble local roots to nationwide organizations with millions of members and large amounts of political power. The growth of the temperance movement resulted from the changes in society between the original American settlers and the post-Revolutionary War citizens.

    Read More

  • Temperance Movement and Opium

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Temperance Movement was aimed to promote abstinence from alcohol, to criticize those who consumed alcohol, and political influence was often used as well. It focused on abolishing alcohol consumption completely. Political influence was important because it led to laws that limited and regulated alcohol that eventually led to prohibition. “Temperance reformers typically were evangelical Protestants who regarded alcoholic beverages as harmful and even sinful for the individual drinker and for society at large. Supposedly, drink destroyed families and reputations and brought about poverty, disorder, and crime.” (Fahey, 2013) This movement stated that alcohol was dangerous for everyone. They believed that all individuals who drank would lose control of their drinking habits and would start encountering problems as a result of drinking. The Temperance Movement was just the beginning of what would eventually become the Eighteenth Amendment of the United States. The movement was be...

    Read More

  • The Success and Failure of the Prohibition

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    “What America needs now is a drink,” declared President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the end of the Prohibition. The Prohibition was the legal prohibiting of the manufacture and sale of alcohol. This occurred in the United States in the early twentieth century. The Prohibition began with the Temperance movement and capitalized with the Eighteenth Amendment. The Prohibition came with unintended effects such as the Age of Gangsterism, loopholes around the law, and negative impacts on the economy. The Prohibition came to an end during the Great Depression with the election Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Twenty-First Amendment

    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

  • Prohibition Argumentative Essay

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Prohibition was started in the 1920s when the 18th Amendment was ratified. This leads to many disruptions in America. The 18th Amendment caused many people to become upset with the government. The 18th Amendment was the prohibition of alcohol but was this Prohibition really good for this country? This research paper will tell the positives and negatives of the Prohibition and the overall effect on the country. There are many arguments to both oppositions. This paper will be focusing more on the negative points of the argument. The Prohibition was put into effect on January 16 1920. There was very few people that supported The Prohibition. US leader and temperance movement groups supported it. Many People opposed the Prohibition including, the average citizen, teenagers, and the mafia.

    Read More

  • The Legal Drinking Age Should Be 18

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    The temperance movement at the time used a minimum drinking age to gradually bring about the ban of alcohol altogether. In 1919 the temperance movement got what they wanted and the 18th Amendment was created banning the sale of alcohol in America. This ultimately failed, resulting in increased gang violence and bootlegging. In 1933, due to a change of public opinion, the ban was lifted with what is called the 21st Amendment. After prohibition, what was left of the temperance movement was to make sure that a minimum drinking age remained.

    Read More

  • The Start of Gangsterism/ Organized Crime because of Prohibition

    1999 Words  | 4 Pages

    Prohibition in the United States lasted about 14 years from 1920 to 1933. “Prohibition was the period in United States history in which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors was outlawed.” . Intoxicating liquors were beginning to ruin the lives of some Americans and it became banned. “Prohibition, members of the Temperance movement urged, would stop husbands from spending all the family income on alcohol and prevent accidents in the workplace caused by workers who drank during lunch” . Alcohol was beginning to tear families apart and some wanted to finally outlaw all of the alcohol which would make life easier. In the beginning organizations pushed moderation, but after some decades the organizations’ focus’ turned into the idea of complete prohibition . Although the idea of total prohibition was far-fetched it eventually began. The 18th amendment brought about complete prohibition to all of the United States, with this amendment prohibition in the United States was finally established.

    Read More

More about History Of Alcohol Prohibition

Open Document