We are all trying to make the world a better place, whether it’s through trying to eliminate the use of drugs or making Sunday a Holy Day. Some have true intentions while others try to make the world fit their standards. However, we all have different likes and dislikes so we are unable to obtain the “perfect” world. By trying to force ones morality onto others it causes rebellion. Who is to say gambling, recreational drugs, or alcohol are right or wrong? Prohibition played a preeminent role in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and caused many people to challenge the law which ultimately lead to its demise during the Roaring Twenties. Even in the early times, alcohol was a key component in everyone’s lives. According to Tori Avey in “The Great Gatsby, Prohibition, and Fitzgerald” in colonial times people drank beverages containing alcohol at every meal. Weak beer and cider was the choice dinks in the 1700's (Avey). In the 1800's, farmers were able to cultivate more potent grains to make rum and whiskey (Avey). By 1830 men, 15 years and up, began drinking 88 bottles of whiskey per year; since then numbers have tripled (Avey). Men began losing their jobs, wasting paychecks, and neglecting their families. This called for a change. Change came in the form of religious groups and women. According to Hisory.com in “Prohibition” in the 1820's religious revivalists swept across the United States calling for temperance (History.com Staff). Activist groups made it their mission to stop the consumption of alcohol so times could return to when they were simpler said Michael Lerner in “Unintended Consequences” (Lerner). Many new anti-alcohol groups came about such as the Anti-Saloon League and the Women's Christian Temperance Union wh... ... middle of paper ... ...s are, is marijuana the next prohibited item to become legalized? Works Cited Avey, Tori. "The Great Gatsby, Prohibition, and Fitzgerald." PBS. PBS, 14 May 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print. History.com Staff. "Prohibition." History.com. A+E Networks, 2009. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. Lerner, Michael. "Prohibition: Unintended Consequences." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. "The Prohibition Era." The Prohibition Era. The Town of Patterson, NY, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. "Prohibiton Articles & Newspapers." Prohibition Articles. Archives.com, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. Thorton, Mark. "Prohibition Caused the Greatness of Gatsby." Ludwig Von Mises Institute. Mises Daily, 15 May 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. "1920's Prohibition." 1920-1930.com. Robert Scott, n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
Okrent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. New York: Scribner, 2010. Print.
The hopes of the prohibitionist were dreams of a healthier and more successful nation. Their dreams were spun from the idea of shutting out the alcohol industry and enforcing large industries and stressing family values. The eighteenth amendment consisted of the end of sales, production, transportation, as for importation and exportation of intoxicating liquors. Their imaginations were large and very hopeful. The prohibitionists felt that alcohol is a slow poison of their community. They felt that if the liquor industry was shut out that Americans would spend their hard earned money in the clothing, food, and shoe industries therefore boosting the American economy. Many felt, “Seeing what a sober nation can do is indeed a noble experiment and one that has never yet been tried, (Crowther, 11) Prohibition was a test of the strength of the nation and an attempt at cleaning up societies evils. These reformers denounce alcohol as a danger to society as well as to the human body. Some ethnic hopes of prohibition was to regulate the foreigners whose backgrounds consisted on the use of alcohol for religious purposes. And try to enforce an American valued society upon them. Many reformists felt that ending the use of alcohol would protect American homes and families. They felt that alcohol use was the root of their family’s destruction. Many women felt that their husbands would waste a lot of their income on the purchase of alcohol and not on family needs. Alcohol was often known as a “poison, or sin”. Another hope for the eighteenth amendment was to reduce the crime and death rate. Many people felt that drunkenness was the cause of many of the nations crimes. Prohibitionist felt very passionately on their cause and were often called “dry’s.” They felt their battle was justified and that, “it is manifest destiny that alcohol will not survive the scrutiny,”(Darrow and Yarros, 20).
...ald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
"Temperance & Prohibition." Table of Contents | Temperance & Prohibition. Ohio State University, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have organized temperance movements, including Australia, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Poland, and of course, the United States. The American temperance movement was the most widespread reform movement of the 19th century, culminating in laws that completely banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. The movement progressed from its humble local roots to nationwide organizations with millions of members and large amounts of political power. The growth of the temperance movement resulted from the changes in society between the original American settlers and the post-Revolutionary War citizens.
San Diego, CA: ReferencePoint, 2013. Print. The. Okrent, Daniel. Prohibition Life: Politics, Loopholes And Bathtub Gin. NPR.com - "The New York Times" NPR, 2010.
The Web. 26 Feb. 2014. The "Prohibition Era" The Prohibition Era. Historic Patterson, Mar.
After the American Revolution, drinking was on the rise. To combat this, a number of societies were organized as part of a new Temperance movement which attempted to dissuade people from becoming intoxicated. At first, these organizations pushed moderation, but after several decades, the movement's focus changed to complete prohibition of alcohol consumption. (Brayton)
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print. The.
According to Tim Nash, “people turned more and more to criminal activity...” Being able to consume alcohol had become a normal thing for people, so when the government all of a sudden tells the people they can’t drink it, that didn’t sit well. The prohibition brought out the worst in many people. It made some people so desperate that if bribes didn’t work they would turn to violence and murder if need be to cover something up (Hanson). Many people have a rebellious side and when something is strictly forbidden it makes it that much more tempting, just like underage drinking now. The 18th amendment fueled organized crime in the 1920’s (Bourdreaux). This crime came about in many different
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
London: Penguin Books, 1990. Trilling, Lionel. " F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed.
Work Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. London: Penguin Books, 1990.
With its increase in organized crime, notorious icons, and unhealthy lifestyle, the Era of Prohibition represented the Roaring Twenties which F. Scott Fitzgerald vividly portrayed in The Great Gatsby.