Synthesis Essay: The Failure Of Prohibition

The Failure of Prohibition

Source Based a) One way in which source A and source B agree concerning the consequences of prohibition. When it was introduced it caused a lot of illegal activity. Source A shows how by saying, "It (prohibition) created the greatest criminal boom in American history and perhaps in all modern history." Source B shows this because it says, " by 1928 there were more than 30,000 illegal speakeasies" in New York.

Another agreement that the sources A and B have is that the Anti-saloon league was an important factor in the final national ban on alcohol. In source A it says that among other reasons their was the "influence of the anti-saloon league at a time when large numbers of

I think that this is indicating that prohibition was bound to fail, because if it created that much criminal activity, then obviously not many people wanted to obey the law. Also, there would have been a lot of difficulty for prohibition agents to make sure that the law was enforced successfully, with so many gangsters.

Source B is similar to source A, it also has the advantage of hindsight of prohibition because it was published in 1979. In this source it shows the confidence in a prohibition agent, who had no doubts he would stamp out the evil of drink. This would indicate that the source does to some extent believe in the success in prohibition. However, Source B does also talk about how many 'speakeasies,' illegal pub, were set up in New York by 1928, 30,000. This shows how many people were people were going against the law, and therefor how unlikely it was to succeed. I think because the source was written after prohibition had failed, it is difficult for it to show that prohibition could have been a

Source F was written the year that prohibition was introduced. The source is a speech by a prohibition agent, and is very for the success of prohibition. The agent believes that prohibition will be a success, and that where it is not obeyed, it will be enforced. This means that the source disagrees that prohibition was bound to fail, however, it was bound to be biased towards the success of prohibition as a prohibition commissioner wrote it.

Sources G and H both show police statistics on, in source G, stills that were seized and alcohol, in gallons, seized, over nine years of prohibition. In source G the figures increase, in both cases, I think that this would indicate prohibition is not working effectively, because if more illegal alcohol is being found, then more of it is being made. In source H the statistics are on the amount of people found drunk, and or in disorderly conduct, and drink driving. All of these figures increased over the years as well, accept drunk and