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Temperance movement thesis
Temperance movement thesis
Temperance movement thesis
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Introduction In the early 20th century, several people thought that alcohol was the root of evil and that it should be banned. Supporters of banning alcohol were part of the temperance movement, while other supporters of prohibiting the sale, manufacturing or transportation of alcohol were part of the Anti-Salon League. In the year 1919, the supporters of banning alcohol received their wish and the United States ratified the 18th amendment. The new law stated that intoxicating liquors shall not be manufactured, sold or transported . The passing of the 18th amendment was intended to reduce violence and other problems that were affecting American families. However, the 18th amendment inadvertently increased the presence of organized crime and moonshiners alike. Consequently, many individuals will argue that the 18th amendment caused the crime rate in America to decrease, while others believe that crime increased from this amendment; both statements are considerably accurate, but to a certain extent. In addition overall crime, the discussion related to moonshiners will be reflected upon; more specifically how this group of individuals reacted to the law and stirred up crime across the country. Furthermore, the topic pertaining towards crime during this era has a direct correlation to corrupt law enforcement and unclear guidelines pertaining to the 18th Amendment; both of these factors inhibited crime during the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. Finally, the overall expenses and man power to enforce this amendment seemed to be outweighing any positive side effects that may took place; this led to the repeal of the 18th amendment. Pursuing the 18th Amendment The passing of the 18th Amendment stood as a response to many ... ... middle of paper ... ...refore, rather than focusing on the quality of the alcohol being produced; moonshiners started to focus on the quantity. Since the quantity of alcohol being produced significantly increased, the quality slowly deteriorated. This enabled moonshiners to use “toxic ingredients to create alcohol, thus causing individuals to go blind, become paralyzed or even die” In addition to moonshiners selling alcohol, they also found ways to transport it as well. Since both transporting and selling were considered a crime, moonshiners devised a way to outrun law enforcement. One of the more common efforts made by moonshiners was their effort to modify their cars. Moonshiners decided that modifying their cars would aid in escaping and outrunning law enforcement. This plan was seemingly effective for moonshiners, but created a safety hazard to any and all individuals in their path.
Nascar…. When you think of moonshine you think of the hillbillies in overalls fireing up grand daddys still in the b ack forty. It may come to a shock to you when you learn that nascars the billion dollor enterprise with 100,000 cars that are engineered to be as fast as they can be. Its hard to belive it all started from shine runners. During the great depression millions of gallons of shine were in need of distribution. This is where the ridge runners came into play. The shiners needed a way to get there shine from the stills to the stash houses…. The cops at the time had stock cars and if you could out run them then you wre free. You can only get in trouble if you are caught in the act….. the backwoods shiners started to build cars that would out run the cops. This was the beginning of nascar…..
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
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?
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.
The Prohibition or the Eighteenth Amendment was a huge failure for a law in 1920. There were many factors that led to its downfall that included illegal means, rise of gangsters, and the Twenty- First Amendment. Despite the Prohibition, it did not stop the people from drinking it and accessing it through thousands of speakeasies. It became a most lucrative business for criminals that led to dangerous competition. In 1933, the failed amendment was repealed and most people rejoiced that alcohol was legal again. The Eighteenth Amendment was an experiment that went horribly wrong and did absolutely nothing to bring any positive change. This was proof “that you don’t have to be drunk to come up with a really, really, bad idea.” (Carlson. 141)
Once people wanted a drink, nothing stopped them. Subsequently, prohibition sparked American ingenuity to step to the forefront. A black market emerged, as brewing beer making wine, and distilling whiskey, became a national past time. Enterprising home brewers could make enough Home brew, Dago Red, Bathtub Gin or Moonshine to quench their thirst and to sell as well. Therefore, stills begin popping up in basements, barns, backrooms, and the deep woods. Both Canada and Mexico were wet, and their border towns offered many opportunities for thirsty Americans to quench their thirst. Ships anchored outside the three-mile limit on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, loaded with alcohol becoming floating bars and nightclubs. Additional ships offered cases of alcohol spirits only to the professional rumrunners. Illegal liquor grew to such an extent that enforcement became virtually impossible.
Moonshiners were around before the 1920s, mostly in Tennessee and more southern states, however they were not as popular until Prohibition became in effect (Saloon). The people making the alcohol used to worry about the quality of the alcohol, however onc...
Although the 18th Amendment never actually banned the consumption of alcohol, it did prohibit the making, selling, and transporting of alcohol. Immediately after the law was passed, many Americans started disobeying it. Speakeasies, which were secret bars, started selling alcohol to the public illegally. It was estimated by the police commissioner that New York City contained double the amount of illegal drinking places than before Prohibition. Citizens also began making illegal moonshine. Sometimes, bootleggers would add dangerous substances into the alcohol, harming the consumer. Sadly, even public officials went against the law. Many police officers around the country took part in distributing alcohol. Various others were bribed to keep quiet and unfortunately, let criminals slip through their
The newly established Federal Prohibition Bureau had only 1,550 agents, and “with 18,700 miles of vast and virtually unpoliceable coastline, it was clearly impossible to prevent immense quantities of liquor from entering the country.” Not even 5% of smuggled liquor was ever actually captured and seized from the hands of the bootleggers. Bootlegging has become a very competitive and lucrative market with the adaptation of prohibition. This illegal underground economy fell into the hands of organized gangs who overpowered most of the authorities. Most of these gangsters, secured their businesses by bribing an immense number of city officials.
Big time Mobsters began setting up some big ideas for big business. Mob bosses, gangs, small time thugs, smugglers and just about anyone who did not mind sneaking around the law had their hands dipped into the moonshine business. The moonshine business was a basic manufacture, sell and repeat business; Prohibition had people thinking about making a pretty good profit from doing it. While this was happening, big time mobsters began digging into deeper ways of making money. Labor racketeering, selling of drugs and even prostitution really come into play during this time (Hales).
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.
The public demand for alcohol led to a soaring business for bootleggers. When prohibition began, people immediately wanted a way to drink. Therefore, the profitable bootlegging business was born. Before Prohibition gangs existed, but had little influence. Now, they had gained tremendous power almost overnight. Bootlegging was easy; some gangs even paid hundreds of poor immigrants to maintain stills in their apartments. Common citizens, once law abiding, now became criminals by making their own alcohol. However, this forced risks for those who made their own. The less fortunate Americans consumed homemade alcoholic beverages that were sometimes made with wood alcohol. In return, many died due to alcohol poisoning.
The Prohibition Amendment, which took effect on January 16, 1920, outlawed the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States and its territories, until its repeal on December 5, 1933. Today, Prohibition is often referred to as the “Noble Experiment” because it was created to reduce the adverse effects that alcohol had on families and society. Excessive consumption of alcohol, primarily by men, often resulted in domestic violence, poor work performance, and wasteful spending of wages on alcohol, which were needed to support families. Although the Prohibition Amendment did decrease alcohol-related consequences, ultimately this legislation should not have been enacted because it led to more organized crime and an increase of economic problems.
In today’s music, moonshine appears in a number of artists’ songs, like Bruno Mars, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Van Morrison, John Denver, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Steve Earle, Jimmy Buffett, Akon, Jamie T, and Hank Williams, Jr. as well as Hank Williams III (Wikipedia). Famous country singer Dolly Parton sang a song called “Daddy's Moonshine Still.” American “country-roots” singer and songwriter Gillian Welch released a moonshiner's dying lament called “Tear My Stillhouse Down” (Wikipedia). Hank Williams III sang “A Moonshiner's Life,” paying respect to one man by name. Singer George Jones’ song “White Lightning” (which is also another name for moonshine) tells a story of a North Carolina moonshiner; “well in North Carolina, way back in the hills, lived my ol’ pappy and he had him a still. He brewed white lightning ‘til the sun went down. Then, he’s fill him a jog and he’d pass it around. Mighty mighty pleasin’, pappy’s corn squeezin’” (Wikipedia). Also, rapper Yelawolf is known to mention moonshine in some of his raps. Moonshine is like honor to his Alabama heritage, “he considers himself a connoisseur of Southern alcohol, including moonshine” (Wikipedia). Brad Paisley is a country singer and his tenth album is called Moonshine in the Trunk which was released in 2014. In the IIrish folk songs “The Moonshiner and The Hills of Connemara both concern moonshine. It is referred to as "mountain tay" in 'Hills'” (Wikipedia). In the bluegrass song “Rocky Top” it speaks of strangers who went out looking for a moonshine still and then never returned, “as well as locals who ‘get their corn from a jar’ because the ground is too rocky to actually grow corn” (Wikipedia). There are so much more artists who reference and sing about moonshine in their songs, making moonshine an essential part of the making of their music. More and more artists in Appalachian society, and today’s