Prohibition Of Alcohol

Prohibition of Alcohol in the United States
Michael Derbes
Prohibition of alcohol began in 1919 when congress passed the 18th amendment; the 18th amendment banned the sale, transportation, and manufacture of alcohol.
Prohibition came into effect largely because of the temperance movement. The temperance movement was a large anti-alcohol movement that began in the 1830’s. Many people saw alcohol as something that tore marriages apart and ruined people’s lives. Different groups formed to fight for prohibition like the Woman’s Cristian Temperance Union or WCTU. The WCTU worked to have local laws passed banning alcohol. The WCTU did not succeed with this at first, but they got the word out across the country about the need for prohibition. The WCTU created an anti-alcohol education program that was implemented into most of the schools in the country. A man named Wayne B. Wheeler created the anti-saloon league, or ASL. The ASL was largely successful because of Wayne B. Wheeler; he created alliances with just about everyone. The ASL formed alliances with the NAACP, the Klu Klux Klan, democrats, republicans, International workers of the world, suffragists, and populists. The ASL would unite with anybody that would back their movement. The ASL had the goal of an amendment that would ban the sale of alcohol, and in 1919 it was passed.
The United States entered World War I in 1917, what same year the president Woodrow Wilson created a temporary prohibition. Woodrow Wilson made it to save grain so the government could send more to the troops. Later that year, the amendment was drafted. In 1919 the 18th amendment was passed. The 18th amendment banned the sale, transportation, and manufacture of alcohol. The 18th amendment took a year to ...

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...bition took a very negative effect on the economy. Many states relied heavily on taxing liquor; the federal government lost eleven billion dollars during prohibition, while it cost three hundred million dollars to enforce prohibition. Although it had a lot of support, millions of people still disagreed with the law. People did not take the law seriously; it banned something that they had always done so law abiding citizens did not feel bad about breaking the law. In 1929 the great depression began, and by 1932 the potential jobs that could be created by the return of the liquor industry was too tempting. When Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for office, he promised the end of Prohibition. Roosevelt won the election and in 1933 the 21st amendment was ratified, the 21st amendment nullifies the 18th amendment making the production, sale, and transport of alcohol legal again.