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Reasons for prohibition essay
Social effects of prohibition
Reasons for prohibition essay
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Restatement: Why did the United States repeal the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act? Hook: Crash! The sound of a beer bottle falling on the floor and shattering into a million peices. From the outside of the house you could hear a drunken man yelling, a woman screaming, and children crying. This is one of the many reasons that the United States started prohibition. With laws like the Volstead act and the 18th amendment alcohol was banned throughout the whole country. In thirteen years, America would repeal both laws, but why? Thesis/ Road Map: The United States repealed the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act because of the rise in crime, it was impossible to enforce, and the economy was going broke. Baby Thesis: One of the reason the 18th amendment was repealed was due to the fact that the crime rate increased massively. …show more content…
Evidence: As stated in Document B the murder rate rose from 1 in every 100,000 americans to 10 in every 100,000.
Many gang members who were under the influence of illegal alcohol used homicide as a way to rule the alcohol trade. Gang warfare was very common thus one of the main reasons the homicide rate was increasing. America’s angove states that the number of federal convicts increased by 561% and the number of federal prison population increased by 366%. Another social reason that prohibition was repealed was because of bootleggers and racketeers. Document A implies that prohibition went hand in hand to the rise of gangsters, bootleggers, racketeers, and dope sellers. All of these people sold alcohol illegally. Causing men to come home drunk and go ballistic. Which makes the family suffer and that relates back to the topic of social
issues. Argument: As a result of prohibition the crime increased and more social issues arose, leading America to change their mind. Baby Thesis: Another reason for America to repeal the prohibition was the enforcement factor. Evidence: As stated above the prohibition lead to gangsters. One of the hidden reasons why the prohibition caused gangsters was because Congress couldn't enforce the law. As stated in Document C it was impossible to patrol thousands of miles of land. With the few people patrolling the area smuggling beer and wine from Mexico and Canada was not difficult. Hence the fact that gangsters and bootleggers were so common. They were even found amongst Congressmen and Senators.The people who would send a criminal of to jail for a year or six months were the same people who would come into work drunk. Document D clearly states that America’s very own Congressmen and Senators were repetitively violating the law. By coming on to the floor drunk themselves, the very people who voted for America to go dry, what were they expecting from America? Argument: Impossible enforcement is one of the reasons that America repealed prohibition Baby Thesis: The third and last reason for America to repeal the Volstead Act and the 18th amendment was the fact that the economy was suffering. Evidence: As stated in Document E the nation quickly realized that the money that was going to bootleggers could lead America out of debt and with 200,000,000 dollars left over for emergency purposes. If they sold and taxed people for alcohol, as the same price as the bootleggers had sold them, they would no longer need to raise taxes. Also America’s hangover states that all alcohol’s prices went up by at least 150% and that it is estimated that bootleggers made about 4 billion dollars back then which would be about 52.5 billion dollars now. Another result of the 18th amendment was that there were no legal saloons or bars which took away job from bartenders and baristas. Causing multiple people , who weren't bootleggers, to go broke. So they were not able to pay taxes properly which all leads back to the economy suffering because of prohibition. Argument: The last reason for prohibition being banned was the economic loss of money. Conclusion: The United States repealed the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act because of the rise in crime, impossibility to enforce, and the severe economic losses. “ Liquor prohibition lead to the rise of organized crime in America, and drug prohibition has led to the rise of the gang problem we have now.”- Drew Carey. It’s true the crime rate has increased massively since prohibition started as was stated in paragraph one.But, Drew Carey is right about the fact that drug have been getting popular lately and who knows may by America will start a new prohibition banning drugs? The old saying is true those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it - George Santayana.
The decline of alcohol consumption was partly an illusion due to the fact that it sharply increased by the penultimate years of Prohibition, suggested that the demand of alcohol was so strong, which led to the rise of organised crime, such as bootlegging, speakeasies and criminal gangs. Ultimately, Prohibition was not a healthy move because many people decided to turn to more dangerous substitutes such as heroin, hashish and cannabis. This had serious health consequences, such as addiction and shortened life expectancy. Due to the immense geographical size of America, prohibition was difficult to enforce, which also led to corruption. The limited number of underpaid police officers were usually bribed by illegal establishments to remain silent. Willoughby’s point is agreeable that the failure of prohibition was largely due to the fact that it was over-ambitious, resulting in many problems in America, that led to its repeal in
Out of all 27 Amendments of the Constitution, only one has been repealed; that would be the 18th Amendment, Prohibition. From 1920 to 1933 the manufacture, transport, and sell of alcoholic beverages in the United States was illegal. The Amendment passed in 1919 and went into effect during 1920, only to be repealed 14 years later. What made America change its mind about Prohibition? There are three main reasons America repealed the 18th Amendment; these include increase in crime, weak enforcement and lack of respect for the law, and economic opportunities.
In 1920 following the ratification of the 18th amendment the country became dry. The 18th amendment made it illegal to manufacture, sell, import, or export drinking alcohol. It would stay this way for a little more than a decade, which became known as the prohibition. Prohibition was a way to clean up the cities and improving the conditions of the US. Prohibition was approved because drinking was thought be a drag on the economy and the leading cause for some of the country's problems such as corruption, child abuse, crime, and unemployment. Fourteen years later in 1932 America had changed its mind and it was repealed. So what changed? The American people had changed their minds about the 18th amendment because crime had increased,
On Jan. 17, 1920, America went completely dry. The 18th Amendment of the United States Constitution had been ratified a year earlier, banning “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” within the United States and its territories. This began the era of Prohibition, a 14-year time period of law-breaking unlike any other in our country’s history fueled by bootleggers, gangs, speak easies and mafias. The 18th Amendment was a rarity in that it limited the rights of the individual rather than the activities of the government, thereby guaranteeing an unfavorable reception and reaction. “Last Call” The Rise and Fall of Prohibition was written by Daniel Okrent and published in May 2010 and is a historical explanation of the Prohibition era. Prohibition through the 18th Amendment holds the distinction of being the only constitutional amendment ever to be repealed. This fact leads one to ask: How did this even occur? Why would Americans sacrifice their precious right to drink?
“There'd never been a more advantageous time to be a criminal in America than during the 13 years of Prohibition. At a stroke, the American government closed down the fifth largest industry in the United States - alcohol production - and just handed it to criminals - a pretty remarkable thing to do.-Bill Bryson” The prohibition act,also known as the 18th amendment, was a law that the American Government enforced to ban liquor because congress believed alcohol was a huge factor of a drag on economy. The prohibition took place during the Great Depression era which was between 1920 to 1933. Why was the prohibition of alcohol was repealed? The 18th amendment was repealed for several reasons. The prohibition increased criminal activities, the government can earn money by taxing liquor and it was utterly impossible to control thousands of borders for surveillance.
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.
January 1920, the opening year of the 18th Amendment that sought banning “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” within the United States and its US territories. Many Americans relate this era with speakeasy, public law breaking, and a public disregard for the establishment of prohibition. The 18th Amendment was the first constitutional amendment that sought to limit the rights of citizens and their rights to drink. This would become an attempt that many would soon come to realize as one of the greatest failures in law enforcement in American History. For if an American wants to drink, those with the American spirit for rebellion will surly offer him one.
Although both the coming and the arrival of the Great Depression did have some influence over the decision to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment, other factors played a part – most importantly the simple fact that prohibition didn’t work. In the early 1920s and throughout the 1930s America suffered through a period of economic decline, and because of this, the government in particular, was in need of funds to fuel its weakening economy. Taxation on alcohol would contribute towards the resources for relief, and prevent higher taxes in other areas of business which would only compound the situation. Each year the government was missing out on a sum of around $500 million which would be brought in by a tax on alcohol, and would significantly help America during the crisis. As well as this, an end to prohibition would eliminate the costs required to enforce it – an extra expenditure the government could not afford at this time.
18th Amendment was also known as the Volstead Act. Idea for the prohibition was to reduce crime, poverty and to improve the quality of life. Tried to make it impossible to for Americans to put their hands on alcohol. People drank even more, crime rates went up and there were more deaths due to alcohol during the prohibition.
Some would have you believe that crime decreased during prohibition. Well, it did. Crime decreased, as a whole, by 37.7% during prohibition. However violent crime and other serious crimes were up. Theft of property was up 13.2%, homicide was up m16.1%, and robbery was up 83.3%. Minor crimes had decreased though- by 50%. Crimes such as malicious mischief, public swearing, vagrancy, etc. (Dr. Fairburn pg 75-80)
It is said that for every market that is destroyed, a new underground market is created. This was exactly the case with prohibition. Though domestic violence did decrease, much crime increased. Bootlegers (people who made/sold their own whiskey) popped up everywhere. Speakeasies, which were underground bars, were frequented by virtually everyone. Seceret drinking was considered a glamorous thing-even in Washington parties. Bootlegging gangs began to increase, thus an increase in street crime occured. One of the most famous of these gangsters was Al Capone. Capone's bootlegging ring earned him approximately 60,000,000 dollars a year. One example of gang related crime was the St. Valentines Day Massacre, in which Capones's gang gunned down and killed seven members of "Bugs" Morgans' gang.
It was apparent that Prohibition didn’t achieve its goals, instead, it added to the existing economic and social problems, as well as creating new problems that would be prominent in today’s society. Organized crime grew into an empire, disrespect for the law grew, the per capita consumption of alcohol increased dramatically, city officials fell to gangsters, and the government lost money. It is obvious that prohibition was a miserable failure from all points of view. Reasonable measures were not taken to enforce the laws, so they were practically ignored.
People turned more and more towards criminal activity, organized criminals such as the American mobsters and European crime syndicates thrived, most common people looked upon these organizations as heros. Criminals like Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger were headliners of the era. Jobs were scarce and people needed to provide for their families, gangsterism was dangerous but provided an easy way to make money. When the American government passed the eighteenth Amendments outlawing alcohol, people who enjoyed a drink became criminal for doing so. It was organized criminals who supplied the booze. In January of 1920 the American government banned the sale and supply of alcohol, the government thought that this would curb crime and violence, prohibition did not achieve its goals, leading more toward higher crime rates and excessive violence. Alcohol was seen as the devil's advocate and banning the substance would help improve the quality of American lives. It caused an explosive growth in crime with more than double the amount of illegal bars and saloons operating than before prohibition. The government set up the “Federal Prohibition Bureau” to police prohibition, this did not deter people and organized crime continued to be the main supplier of booze. With a large coastline it was almost impossible to police with only five percent of alcohol ever being confiscated. Bribing government officials was common, and people were increasingly crafty in the way they
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).
Prohibition was passed to eradicate the demand for liquor but had the inadvertent effect of raising the crime rates in America. Robert Scott stated, “Prohibition was supposed to lower crime and corruption, reduce social problems, lower taxes needed to support prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America” (Scott 2). As the demand for alcohol increased, people began to find new methods to mask the production and consumption of liquor. It became easier to break the rules. Organized crime blossomed and many law-abiding citizens turned into criminals.