Reliable Sources on Prohibition December 5 1933 marked the end of Prohibition for the United States. Utah was the last state to pass the 21st Amendment, which cancelled out the 18th Amendment which prohibited the distilling or brewing of liquor. Source E was written by John D. Rockefeller Jr, an extremely wealthy oil merchant in the 20th century. Source E is a letter that he wrote in 1932, at the end of prohibition. Rockefeller had been one of the main supporters of prohibition; he was a member of the anti-saloon league and was a strong Christian. He would also have supported prohibition because he owned his own business and so would have had to deal with his employees having time off work or even being unfit to work because of the effects that the alcohol had on them which meant he would have lost money because he wouldn’t have so many workers working when he needed them. This source is however a letter and we don’t know whether it is a personal letter or a business letter, therefore there could be bias. In his letter he is looking back on what has happened and may have forgotten some of the events that occurred during this time. However, this source is quite reliable because it is backed up by other sources, although he says that he initially supported prohibition and “hoped it would be widely supported”. H also talks about the consequences of prohibition saying that “drinking has generally increased” which is backed up by sources G which show statistics such as “Gallons of spirits seized” which rose from 414,000 in 1921 to 11,860.000 1929. Or source H which shows statistics such as “Number of people drunk” which rose from 14,313 in 1920 to 51,361 in 1925. He also says “crime has increased to a level never seen before” which is supported in source A where it says “It created the greatest criminal boom in American history; perhaps in all modern history” and source B where it says “by 1928 there were more than
During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, many saw alcohol as a cause of instability among communities. To counteract the effects of alcohol on American society, The Temperance Movement, Prohibition Party and many others sought to enact anti-liquor laws that would prohibit the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. On January 19, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment had taken effect and a nationwide ban on alcohol was enacted. This was thought of as a solution to the many problems that America had at the time, but it only made matters worse. The American society had been greatly affected by the Eighteenth Amendment in many negative aspects such as increasing crime and violence, worsening the economy, and much more.
On Jan. 17, 1920, America went completely dry. The 18th Amendment of the United States Constitution had been ratified a year earlier, banning “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” within the United States and its territories. This began the era of Prohibition, a 14-year time period of law-breaking unlike any other in our country’s history fueled by bootleggers, gangs, speak easies and mafias. The 18th Amendment was a rarity in that it limited the rights of the individual rather than the activities of the government, thereby guaranteeing an unfavorable reception and reaction. “Last Call” The Rise and Fall of Prohibition was written by Daniel Okrent and published in May 2010 and is a historical explanation of the Prohibition era. Prohibition through the 18th Amendment holds the distinction of being the only constitutional amendment ever to be repealed. This fact leads one to ask: How did this even occur? Why would Americans sacrifice their precious right to drink?
In conclusion Okrent’s Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is a wonderful, and for the most part fair account of the events and people living and taking part in the Prohibition era. His account is detailed, interesting, and well versed on the basis of public knowledge that can easily be referenced. Something the author seems to have been done for the reader, in the last pages of the book following the story. This book is an interestingly exciting read and is highly recommended for anyone interested in discovering what a mistake and giant failure prohibition really was.
Although both the coming and the arrival of the Great Depression did have some influence over the decision to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment, other factors played a part – most importantly the simple fact that prohibition didn’t work. In the early 1920s and throughout the 1930s America suffered through a period of economic decline, and because of this, the government in particular, was in need of funds to fuel its weakening economy. Taxation on alcohol would contribute towards the resources for relief, and prevent higher taxes in other areas of business which would only compound the situation. Each year the government was missing out on a sum of around $500 million which would be brought in by a tax on alcohol, and would significantly help America during the crisis. As well as this, an end to prohibition would eliminate the costs required to enforce it – an extra expenditure the government could not afford at this time. Economically, an end to prohibition would help strengthen the unstable situation in America: ending unproductive government spending as well as bringing new money into the system. Repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment would also meet social demands brought about by the crisis. Those facing hard times wanted to drink, and wanted an end to the law to allow them to do so more easily; thus the Great Depression added to the support for social groups already campaigning for its repeal. Both the economic and social effects of the Depression make it an important reason for the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, a concept supported by historian Joseph Gusfeld. However, this aspect, rather than directly causing the repeal of national prohibition, was the accelerating factor which catalysed the passing of the Twenty-first Ame...
The Prohibition or the Eighteenth Amendment was a huge failure for a law in 1920. There were many factors that led to its downfall that included illegal means, rise of gangsters, and the Twenty- First Amendment. Despite the Prohibition, it did not stop the people from drinking it and accessing it through thousands of speakeasies. It became a most lucrative business for criminals that led to dangerous competition. In 1933, the failed amendment was repealed and most people rejoiced that alcohol was legal again. The Eighteenth Amendment was an experiment that went horribly wrong and did absolutely nothing to bring any positive change. This was proof “that you don’t have to be drunk to come up with a really, really, bad idea.” (Carlson. 141)
Aaron, Paul and Musto, David, Temperance and Prohibition in America: A Historical Overview. In: Moore, Mark H., and Gerstain, Dean R. (eds) Alcohol and Public Policy: Beyond the Shadow of Prohibition. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1981. Pp 127-181.
Prohibition was a very interesting time in the history of Canada it was a very good time period for the country and also a bad time for the country. Prohibition all began to rise around the 1840's and the 1850's by temperance groups in Canada, this set the bases for prohibition because some people were starting to see the affect that alcohol had on a society. Prohibition actually only lasted for two years ( 1917 to 1920 ) through out the entire country, except Quebec they adopted the law in 1919 but they could still sell light beer, cider and wine. At this time the laws that were in place were that alcohol was prohibited in every place in Canada except Quebec.
Prohibition, brought forth by the 18th United States Congressional Constitution Amendment. Prohibition by definition was a nationwide ban on alcohol. All facets on alcohol by that matter were illegal, the distribution, consumption, bottling, manufacturing, marketing, and transportation. This was put in place by the United States government and was a Constitutional ban that lasted from 1920 to 1933. The ban was set in place and led by those named by others and self proclaimed “dry” crusaders that were comprised of both the Democratic and Republican Protestants and social Progressives. Some say that through the 1920's and into the early part of the 1930's and through the early part of the Great Depression that Prohibition cut alcohol consumption
The final reason America changed its mind about the Prohibition was because repealing the Amendment would create economic opportunities. If the liquor that was being sold by bootleggers was legally sold it could be taxed. The tax income could pay the interest on the entire local and national debt, and the US would be able to save the rest of the money (Doc E). Since at the time the US was in a depression, the money was in dire need. Repealing Prohibition seemed like the best solution to help the people and the
“What America needs now is a drink,” declared President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the end of the Prohibition. The Prohibition was the legal prohibiting of the manufacture and sale of alcohol. This occurred in the United States in the early twentieth century. The Prohibition began with the Temperance movement and capitalized with the Eighteenth Amendment. The Prohibition came with unintended effects such as the Age of Gangsterism, loopholes around the law, and negative impacts on the economy. The Prohibition came to an end during the Great Depression with the election Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Twenty-First Amendment
In the beginning of the twenties America was in the midst of an economic boom, people were happy- World War I was over and Americans were rich. But by the end, because of prohibition, and in large part because of the stock market crash, the American economy quickly declined into the Great Depression. During this time the 18th Amendment- prohibition- was passed. Prohibition's supporters were initially surprised by what did not come to pass during the dry era. When the law went into effect, real estate developers and landlords expected rents to rise as saloons closed and neighborhoods improved. Theater producers were expecting an increase in customers as Americans searched for new ways to entertain themselves, ways that did not involve alcohol. But this did not happen. Instead, there was a decline in amusement and entertainment industries all over the United States. Some restaurants even failed, as they could no longer make a profit without legal liquor sales. On the whole, the initial economic effects of Prohibition were largely negative. The closing of breweries, distilleries and saloons led to the elimination of thousands of jobs, and in turn thousands more jobs were eliminated for barrel makers, truckers, waiters, and other related trades. One of the most profound effects of Prohibition was on government tax revenues. Before Prohibition, many states relied heavily on excise taxes in liquor sales to fund their budgets. Almost 75% of New York’s revenue came from liquor taxes, but with prohibition in effect, all that reven...
“For around the first year the amendment had worked, the consumption of liquor had dropped and the price for illegal alcohol use had risen higher than an average wage worker could afford” (Noor). The consumption of alcohol decreased during prohibition, but increased during the last couple years of prohibition (Noor). Essentially, It worked. Consumption decreased by thirty percent, and there was a fifty percent decrease in the consumption of hard liquor (Noor). Many individuals viewed prohibition as patriotic, though it is unclear as to why that is, seeing as taxes on liquor ends up paying more for the war than liberty bonds do (Digi...
Prohibition, which was also known as The Noble Experiment, lasted in America from 1920 until 1933. There are quite a few results of this experiment: innocent people suffered; organized crime grew into an empire; the police, courts, and politicians became increasingly corrupt; disrespect for the law grew; and the per capita consumption of the prohibited substance—alcohol—increased dramatically, year by year. These results increased each of the thirteen years of this Noble Experiment, and they never returned to the levels that existed before 1920. Prohibition did not happen instantly, it settled on the country gradually, community by community, town by town, and eventually state by state for almost a century. The onset of National Prohibition in 1920 was merely the final blow. The first of the laws, such as the one in Virginia in 1619, through New Hampshire's law of 1719 were against drunkenness, not against drinking. The first law that limited liquor sales was implemented because of the religious beliefs of citizens. This particular law was passed in New York in 1697; it ordered that all public drinking establishments be closed on Sunday because, on the Lord's day, people should be worshiping the Bible not the bottle. In 1735, the religious had a prohibition law enacted for the entire state of Georgia. The law was a complete failure and was abandoned in 1742. For the most part, however, during the 1700s and early 1800s, those opposing liquor on religious grounds used sermons and persuasion rather than politics and laws to make their point. These persuasive efforts were known as the Temperance Movement, and its goal was to get everyone to voluntarily temper use of spirits. Maine went completely dry in 1851 and, by 1855, so had New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York Alabama passed a Prohibition law in 1907 which became effective on January 1, 1909. Also in Alabama, the publishing of liquor advertisements and the circulation of other materials containing alcohol and liquor advertisements were prohibited in 1915. By 1920, thirty-three states encompassing 63% of the country had already voted themselves dry (Cherrington 344).
Introduction of Prohibition Prohibition was introduced to all American states apart from Maryland in 1920. Prohibition was the banning of alcohol; you could be arrested for sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol. There were many factors that influenced the introduction of prohibition, One of the main factors was the temperance movements two examples of this were the anti-saloon league and Women’s Christian temperance movement. The temperance movements were at the strongest in rural areas, they put pressure on state governments to introduce prohibition. They put pressure on them by claiming the Damage to drinkers health they also protested that the sale in alcohol produced crime and disorder, poverty and distress, absenteeism and loss of production it also brought misery and turned men vicious.
The Prohibition Amendment, which took effect on January 16, 1920, outlawed the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States and its territories, until its repeal on December 5, 1933. Today, Prohibition is often referred to as the “Noble Experiment” because it was created to reduce the adverse effects that alcohol had on families and society. Excessive consumption of alcohol, primarily by men, often resulted in domestic violence, poor work performance, and wasteful spending of wages on alcohol, which were needed to support families. Although the Prohibition Amendment did decrease alcohol-related consequences, ultimately this legislation should not have been enacted because it led to more organized crime and an increase of economic problems.