Prohibition
There are many ways in which prohibition of alcohol consumption in the United States of America, damaged the very economic and social aspects of American culture, that it was designed to heal. "Prohibition did not achieve its goals. Instead, it added to the problems it was intended to solve." On 16th January 1920, one of the most common personal habits and customs of American society came to a halt. The eighteenth amendment was implemented, making all importing, exporting, transporting, selling and manufacturing of intoxicating liquors absolutely prohibited. The intent of Prohibition was to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed, which in turn would reduce: crime, poverty, death rates, and help the economy. Unfortunately, the lofty goals of Prohibition were not achieved. The law was rendered ineffective because it was unenforceable. Instead of creating a better way of life for Americans, it caused various social and economical problems such as: the explosive growth of organized crime, increased liquor consumption, massive murder rates and corruption among city officials. The rise in crime coupled with the economic down turn called for a new method in combating these problems from a law enforcement standpoint.
It's apparent that Prohibition didn't achieve its goals, instead, it added to the existing economic and social problems. 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. Prohibition caused radical changes throughout American society, which forced law enforcement agencies to change with the times. Prohibition is directly responsible for the operating procedures of law enforcement agencies, such as, the ATF and FBI. The law also made it clear to politicians that enacting a law before the necessary means have been taken to enforce it is a dangerous gamble. With the creation of organized crime, new ways of policing had to be developed. Prohibition created a new federal standard for fighting crime. The Department of treasury had jurisdiction over such activity. During the years of Prohibition the ATF and FBI changed with the times to combat the new wave of criminal activity. Ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1919 brought to prominence those officers charged with investigating criminal violations of the Internal Revenue law, including illicit manufacture of liquors. The creation of an alcohol enforcement unit reflects the difficulty of enforcing a nation-wide ban on the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes. Internal Revenue's orientation had been geared towards collection throughout its history. On April Fool's Day, 1927, The Treasury elevated the Prohibition Unit to Bureau status within the Department. the large flow of illegal liquor from various countries, mainly Canada. "Bootleggers smuggled liquor from oversees and Canada, stole it from government warehouses, and produced their own." The newly established Federal Prohibition Bureau had only 1,550 agents, and with 18,700 miles of vast and virtually unpoliceable coastline, it was nearly impossible to prevent immense quantities of liquor from entering the country. Roughly 5% of smuggled liquor was ever actually captured and seized from the hands of the bootleggers. Bootlegging became a very competitive an
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Approximate Word count = 1483
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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