How Did The 18th Amendment Change America

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In 1920 following the ratification of the 18th amendment the country became dry. The 18th amendment made it illegal to manufacture, sell, import, or export drinking alcohol. It would stay this way for a little more than a decade, which became known as the prohibition. Prohibition was a way to clean up the cities and improving the conditions of the US. Prohibition was approved because drinking was thought be a drag on the economy and the leading cause for some of the country's problems such as corruption, child abuse, crime, and unemployment. Fourteen years later in 1932 America had changed its mind and it was repealed. So what changed? The American people had changed their minds about the 18th amendment because crime had increased, …show more content…

The 18th amendment had made it illegal to manufacture, sell, transport, import, or export drinking alcohol, but this didn't mean there was no alcohol in the US. The Prohibition Unit of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, was in charge of enforcing prohibition. The force was made up of 3,000 to 3,500 men. The men had to ensure that the 18th amendment was abided by, but there were problems. On the Pacific coast there was more miles of border than there were men. This allowed for smugglers from Mexico and Canada to become successful at smuggling alcohol into the US. On the other side of the county, the Atlantic coast, the force, was not having an easier time. In New Jersey and New York, smugglers would arrive at the coast but be anchored outside the 3-mile limit, thus ensuring that the government could not intervene. When night came the smugglers would make their deliveries by motor speed boats. (Document C) It is stated in (Document E) that If all the alcohol that was being sold illegally was sold legally there would be enough to pay the local and national debt and still have a good amount left over, so why keep the prohibition if it was doing more damage than good to the

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