Prohibition: the Failed Experi

A detailed Summary of Prohibition: the Failed Experi

Prohibition came about from the push to abolish the use of alcoholic beverages through an amendment to the Constitution, which became a major crusade in the United States during the second decade of the twentieth century. "By the 1820s people in the United States were drinking, on the average, seven gallons of pure alcohol per person each year, and many religious and political leaders were beginning to see drunkenness as a national curse" (Encarta 2). From the progressive viewpoint, arguments to ban liquor made sense. Alcoholism caused a multitude of social, political and economic evils. Prohibition, often called the "Noble Experiment" was idealistically initiated to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America (Thornton). Results of the experiment clearly indicate it was a miserable failure on all counts. During prohibition, crime and corruption soared, the Mafia became entrenched in our cities, and government officials were corrupted. According to one scholar, "Prohibition created the most disruptive era in our society since the Civil War" (Coffey II). Ironically, the "Noble Experiment's"

Prohibition, in fact, did not get rid of political, economic and social corruption in the United States, but added to the problems it was introduced to solve. The only people that Prohibition benefited were the bootleggers, the corrupt individuals of government, and crime bosses. During the Prohibition era, the mafias, the government officials, and the law enforcement combined to create a huge, corrupt, merchandising system that still exists today and is the main force behind the narcotics trade .

shipment of highjacked booze, so he decided he would interfere. On the morning of February 14th, 1929, Capone had several of his gunmen dress up as policemen and act as if they were arresting O'Banion's men. When the shipment arrived, Capone's men flew into the garage and ordered the men to line up against the wall. The men offered no resistance as they thought it was a routine bust. Capone's hit-men opened fire and killed all seven of O'Banion's men.

The Anti-Saloon League, a woman's movement to legislate prohibition, broke out across the nation in 1873. The Anti-Saloon League and the struggle for legal prohibition came out of the optimism and passion of the progressive reform era in America (Pegram 82). By 1916, they had succeeded in establishing laws that closed saloons and prohibited the production and consumption of alcohol. The "women's war" as it was called, was the major influence behind the ratification of the eighteenth amendment, the Volstead Act. The eighteenth amendment to prohibit the sale and drinking of alcohol act was passed on January 22, 1919 but the enactment of the laws began the Prohibition era at midnight of January 16, 1920 (Encarta 3). Saloons across the nation were closed down and the manufacturing of liquor was illegal. Unfortunately, the law was ignored by most of the nation, and in fact led to a tremendous increase in the consumption, manufacture, and sale of alcohol.

Although the consumption of alcohol decreased drastically in 1921(Thornton 3), the following year it skyrocketed back up to around the same amount as it was before the Volstead Act was introduced. Not only was prohibition not reducing the consumption of alcohol, but also it was leading people to harder drinks and causing people to socialize even more through the consumption of alcohol in speakeasies. Bu

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Approximate Word count = 1564
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History