The Prohibition of the 1920s

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During the 1920’s there was an experiment in the U.S. “The Prohibition”, this experiment, made by the government, was written as the 18th amendment. The prohibition led to the bootlegging, increase in crimes, and gang wars. The experiment consisted in all importing, exporting, transporting, and selling liquor was put to an end. Prohibition had been tried from a lot of time as temperance movements, the movements that tried to stop the alcohol consumption started in the latest 1700’s. The first group that wanted temperance was made by a group of Litchfield, Connecticut in 1789. Evangelical Protestants mainly formed these groups; however, they wanted moderation for preventing drunkenness. The ones who were most affected by alcohol abuse were women and children due to economic problems and physical abuse. For this reason, women started to involve in the cause for temperance, and in 1874 the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was formed in Cleveland, Ohio. This group played a big role in the 1920’s Prohibition. Prohibition was a reform measure of the Progressive Political party. The Progressives started in Chicago and their principal opponents for prohibition were Catholics and Germans. Society wanted to reduce the drunkenness in the workers for more production. The working class immigrants spent a good amount of time in the saloons in witch they would get drunk, when it was legal. Prohibition just made the consumption of alcohol more challenging. With this, the Bootleggers and Rum Runners started. The criminals started to organize because of the bootlegging and the alcohol production and distribution. Al Capone and his famous gang were considered the biggest organization. Also, the production of “ Moonshine” or “Hooch... ... middle of paper ... ...n February 14, 1929. Four of Capone’s men entered to George “Bugs” Moran main bootlegger headquarter. Seven men were killed. For all of Capone’s crimes, he was convicted for tax evasion in 1931. Because of his health problems during his time in prison, he didn’t least a lot more years after he was released on November 16 of 1936. The Volstead Act was made more severe on 1929 by the passing of the Jones Law Amendment; it said that anyone seen with an alcoholic beverage or any bottle or seen without telling the authorities would be charge with a felony. The end of the prohibition came on 1933 with the 21st amendment. Liquor not only became legal, but also taxable. When alcohol became legal, a list of rules came with it; one of the rules was that beer could not be sold between the hours 3 AM and noon on Sunday in order to avoid problems with the church services.

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