Prohibitionism Essay

1080 Words3 Pages

During the late 19th century and early 20th century the United States saw many political reforms that would bring the nation back into a positive and moral state after a bloody civil war tore the country apart. It is said that the average American over the age of 15 during the time prior Prohibition drank almost seven gallons of pure alcohol a year. Prohibition was a period of time in which the average citizen broke the law because alcohol was a major part of citizens’ lives and the restrictions on the sale, transportation, and manufacturing of alcoholic beverages illegal. The urbanized North and Midwest were against Prohibition and the rural West and South supported the ban of alcohol. Even though that the issue of Prohibition was a regional issue across the nation, there were supporters and anti-Prohibitionists in each state. The Anti-Saloon League and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union were two main Prohibition supporters. These groups blamed many of the social problems occurring in the nation, such as murder and crime, on the consumption of alcohol. The Anti-Saloon League was established by the Reverend H. H. Russell in 1895 in Oberlin, Ohio. This organization focused on regulating saloons unlike other groups supporting antiliquor laws who fought against many issues with alcohol instead of focusing on one central issue. The group was composed of many Protestant churches around the nation and was the biggest reason Prohibition happened. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union fought to better American society since the mid-1800s. This group was composed of women of various social and ethnic backgrounds. Black and white women of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in the South came together to fight for prohibit... ... middle of paper ... ...on one candidate Calvin Coolidge won the election. Prohibition began faltering in the mid-1920s as bootlegging spread greatly across the nation. The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment, which was backed by liquor and brewing supporters, was the strongest lobbying force to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment. By 1923, the consumption of alcohol rose to over a gallon per person and in 1927 reached almost one and one-fourth gallons per capita. The majority of Americans did not agree with Prohibition and sought for an outright appeal to the Eighteenth Amendment as the 1928 election approached. Prohibition did not official end until December 5, 1933 when the 21st Amendment was ratified repealing the 18th Amendment. The 21st Amendment allowed for alcoholic beverages with a content of 3.2 percent alcohol could be bought and sold once again in the United States.

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