How Did The United States Change Its Mind After Prohibition

Back in the 1900’s America was going through prohibition. Many people were drinking from adolescence to elderly. Most of the time men would come home drunk and take it out on their families. On December 17, 1917 the 18th amendment was approved which prohibit the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States. The house of representative approved the amendment because alcohol was spiraling out of control in the US. The 18th amendment was passed to put a stop to alcoholic beverages. However after prohibition was passed America change its mind on probation. The reasons why America changed its mind on prohibition were bootlegger benefits, homicides, and government corruption.
America had changed it's mind because the prohibition law was really helping criminals. In the beginning, when the prohibition law was made it was intended to help Americans restore civilization. In reality the government was wrong. Americans were suffering and trying to escape the great depression. Gangsters, racketeers, and

bootleggers were making money off the prohibition. In document C, it says “bootleggers were able to make their deliveries without government interference. Many people saw criminals living the life while Americans were struggling to survive. America had changed its mind on the probation law because the prohibition was benefiting and helping criminals make money.
Throughout the 1900’s there were more homicides with prohibition then there was in World War 1 and World War II. In 1919 there were 7 homicides per 100,000 rate of Americans. It later raised up to about 10 homicides per 100,000 Americans in 1933. Homicides then went back down to 6 homicides seven years later. The chart in document B, shows that prohibition caused more murders possible. America noticed that prohibition caused more murders than both world wars. This was a serious problem and there were many people dying because of it. As a result, people were getting sick and many were willing to do whatever to get a sip of an alcoholic beverage.
America had changed its mind about prohibition because the United States government could not be trusted.

There were congressman and Senators sending drunks to jail because of their drinking habits, but yet they would go back to their office and drink. A woman named Mabel Walker was part of the government and was a Deputy US attorney general for prohibition enforcement. She wrote in Document D, how congressmen and senators were being towards alcoholics. At the time the Volstead Act was in effect. It was against alcohol since intoxication was considered at more than 1% alcohol. It was surprising to think that the men who wrote the act were part of bootleggers. In Document D, it shows that America wanted to break the 18th amendment since everyone was breaking the law. There was no point for America to have prohibited alcohol if most people were going to break the prohibition law. The government had to make some kind of change (Doc

C).
Many Americans sought to change the probation law. America had changed its mind on prohibition because it made life harder for Americans. The government saw that homicide rates had jumped by 3 per 100,000 Americans. People also knew that congressman senators were violating the laws they had made to help Americans. Lastly, criminals such as bootleggers were benefiting from the probation law and living the life while Americans were struggling. In the end America changed its mind on prohibition because not only was prohibition hurting Americans, but it was also hurting the nation.