Prohibition Prohibition

Prohibition: My Q’s Name three reasons many Americans supported the passage of Prohibition. Describe three ways Prohibition divided Americans. Why did Prohibition lead to organized crime?

Alcohol’s Problems For quite some time, a large group of Americans had clamored for the banning of alcohol. They often argued that alcohol consumption often led to family abuse and drunken men who failed to provide for their families. Many employers supported banning alcohol because it would result in productive workers. Also, native-born Americans used the anti-alcohol argument as a way to control immigrants who were often fond of drinking. The strangest reason some Americans wanted to ban alcohol was because most of the nation’s largest breweries were run by Germans and they thought it was a conspiracy by the enemy Germans during WWI to make American soldiers unfit.

18th Amendment In January 1920, the 18th Amendment went into effect, disallowing the sale and consumption of alcohol. One supporter of prohibition claimed, “The slums will soon be only a memory. We will turn our prisons into factories and our jails into storehouses and corncribs. Men will walk upright now. Women will smile and children will laugh.” Immediately, saloons closed, liquor advertising vanished, and arrests for drunkenness declined.

Prohibition’s Failure The main problem with Prohibition was that it was virtually impossible to enforce a nationwide law when it was opposed by so many. The 18th Amendment, from the beginning, was underfunded and weakly enforced. Although the 18th Amendment was still in effect, New York repealed enforcement laws that basically made it legal to drink again.

Speakeasies, Bootleggers, & Moonshine Basically every American city had speakeasies where customers could buy drinks illegally. Bootleggers, people who transported alcohol to these speakeasies, were especially popular in Detroit since Canada was only a few miles across the river. Many people, especially in rural areas, concocted their own alcohol, which was often called moonshine. Deaths from homemade alcohol was somewhat common.

Dividing America Prohibition also divided the American people. Religious fundamentalists, who envisioned a more Christian, sober America, widely supported Prohibition. Secular Americans, who enjoyed recreational drinking, thought the use of alcohol should be reinstituted. Older people also thought that banning alcohol would restore order to American society, while the younger generation were attracted to alcohol use because of its illegality.

Dividing America Continued Women often sparred with their husbands over the issue of alcohol because they wanted sober, supportive fathers. Also, native-born Americans often accused immigrants of intoxication and creating poisonous alcoholic drinks. Traditionalist rural areas often followed the laws of Prohibition more strictly, while urban areas—because they had modern moral values—often ignored the 19th Amendment.

Rise of Organized Crime Organized crime became a serious issue due to Prohibition because criminals realized they could profit greatly from selling illegal alcohol. Gang leaders like Al Capone and John Dillinger fought over control of speakeasies and the illicit liquor trade. Each year, Capone earned $60 million a year from his illegal bars. Chicago, however, witnessed 550 gang-related murders during the Prohibition era.

Repeal of Prohibition Ultimately, a law meant to produce a more orderly society resulted in turning citizens into lawbreakers and criminals into celebrities. A big flop, the 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment, allowing people to drink again.