The Reason for Prohibition in the USA in 1919 In this essay it will be argued that there were many reasons why prohibition was introduced. The arguments of the various movements will be discussed, as well as the effect of WWI and patriotism. To begin with the law against the selling and making of alcohol in America was passed by congress in 1917, due to the eighteenth amendment; it didn't come into effect until January 16th 1920 at precisely midnight. Shortly after the amendment had been passed, the 'National Prohibition Act' or the 'Volstead Act', as it was called because of its Author J Volstead, was put into effect. This act prohibited the manufacture and selling of 'intoxicating liquors'. Intoxicating liquor was defined as any drink containing more than 0.5% of alcohol. With the exceptions of alcohol made uses such as medicine and industrial uses. Anti- drinking issues went as far back as 1830, when a group of women situated in the West and Midlands known as the rural areas set up a group called the "Christian Women Temperance Union". These women were predominantly Christians especially Methodists and white Anglo-Saxon protestants. They blamed alcohol for all types of diseases such as cholera, epilepsy, fever and murder. They started off with illustrated publications to express their views on drinking. Then by 1876 they had their own 'National Temperance Almanac' One passage that was issued in "Everybody's Magazine" in 1917 was as follow ; Everyman who works on land to produce drink instead of bread is a loss in winning the war, and worse he may mean a dead soldier." By 1893 another anti-drinking group was formed called "Anti-Saloon League". They were also women situated in the rural areas. Their arguments were that fathers were spending all the money in the saloon on drink and their families had to suffer for it. The two real consequences were financial; where children and wives went without adequate education, clothing and food. The other consequence was father's behaviour. Men drinking lead to more aggressive behaviour and
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.
What were the unintended consequences of alcohol prohibition in the United States in the 1920’s? In this investigation, the focus will be on the time frame 1920 to 1933, from when the 18th amendment was passed to when alcohol prohibition was repealed. The pros and cons of national prohibition of alcohol in the aspects of health, financial, and social results will be weighed. This will be done through the interpretation of statistics from before and after prohibition, insights of those who lived through the time period, and apparent reasons for the repeal of the amendment. The main type of source used was secondary source journal articles authored by scholars concerning the outcome of prohibition.
Enacting prohibition in a culture so immersed in alcohol as America was not easy. American had long been a nation of strong social drinkers with a strong feeling towards personal freedom. As Okrent remarks, “George Washington had a still on his farm. James Madison downed a pint of whiskey a day”. This was an era when drinking liquor on ships was far safer than the stale scummy water aboard, and it was common fo...
The real reason the Prohibition Act was passed is not because the Legislation had voted for it, but rather the large amount of supporters it had. 33 out of 48 states had already passed the laws within 1920. The direct support was mainly coming from the South, which the number grew from 1820’s to 1840’s. These groups mainly campaigned against the outcome of drinking alcohol. Woman’s groups were behind many temperance movements for they were targets of abuse due to drunken husbands. Many times drinking was blamed upon the economics and the changes it has undergone.
Prohibition was the eighteenth amendment. It prohibited the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages. People would have never thought of “excoriating” alcohol until the 19th century (Tyrrell 16). During this time widespread crime and dismay arose. Some beneficial things did come out of this period of chaos such as women were able to prove themselves as people their temperance movements. During this time many things happened that led to Prohibition’s strongest point and to its fall. Prohibition proved to be a failure from the start,. Prohibition was scarcely adhered to and also widely defied but out of this women had a chance to voice their opinions and prove themselves.
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.
The prohibition of alcohol in the United States lasted from 1920 until 1932. The movement began in the late nineteenth century, and was fueled by the formation of the Anti-Saloon League in 1893 (Why Prohibition?). This league and other anti-alcohol organizations, began to succeed in establishing local prohibition laws. By the 1920's prohibition was a national effort.
The particular emphasis and theme of this paper will focus on delivering an understanding as to why the eighteenth amendment to the constitution of the United States of America, ratified into law in January 1920, outlawing the manufacture, distribution and sale of intoxicating alcohol, was always predestined to fail. In order to fully understand why this ‘Nobel Experiment’ was doomed from the start, the paper must first look back at the historic connection between the American people and alcohol. In order to set some context as to where alcohol sat in American society, this essay will give a passing glance at figures like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but more importantly, it will examine the intrinsic connection between alcohol and the wider population. The essay will look at how this sometimes destructive rapport people had with alcohol, turned into the great social experiment, Prohibition. The paper will look at the anxiety held, by mostly protestant American’s, that alcohol was at the heart of all evils in society and how this lead to the emergence of a myriad of different groups like the Washingtonians, the Women’s Temperance movements’ and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union; and how all of these were over shadowed by the emergence of the Anti-Saloon league. The paper will pay particular attention to how the arrival of the most powerful and influential, single issue lobby group ever to have emerged on the American political stage, painstakingly paved the way for the introduction of the eighteenth amendment. The essay will also looking at the influence the Anti-Saloon league had in drafting the Volstead Act, the law designed to enforce prohibition, and how the subsequent exploitable loopholes turn millions of Ame...
The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have had 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. The Revolutionary War is the catalyst for the movement, and the new society that emerges out of it is the cause of the development of the American temperance movement.
Out of all 27 Amendments of the Constitution, only one has been repealed; that would be the 18th Amendment, Prohibition. From 1920 to 1933 the manufacture, transport, and sell of alcoholic beverages in the United States was illegal. The Amendment passed in 1919 and went into effect during 1920, only to be repealed 14 years later. What made America change its mind about Prohibition? There are three main reasons America repealed the 18th Amendment; these include increase in crime, weak enforcement and lack of respect for the law, and economic opportunities.
Prohibition originated in the nineteenth century but fully gained recognition in the twentieth century. The Prohibition was originally known as the Temperance Movement. In the 1820s and 1830s, a wave of religious revivalism developed in the United States, leading to increased calls for temperance, as well as other reform movements such as the abolition of slavery (“Prohibition”). These reforms were often led by middle class women. The abolition of slavery became a more important topic of debate until after the Civil War. By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a common thing throughout the communities in the United States (“Prohibition”). Women advocated the unity of the family, and they believed alcohol prevented such a thing. Drunken husbands only brought about negativity to the home, and women could not support that behavior. Suffragists, in their pursuit for voting rights, also sought to eliminate alcohol from the home. Small-scale legislation had been passed in several states, but no national laws had been enacted. On January 29, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified by Congress; it banned t...
one simple reason for why it was introduced. It was not a new idea as
The introduction of prohibition in 1919 created numerous opinions and issues in American society. Prohibition has been a long-standing issue in America, with groups promoting it since the late eighteenth century. The movement grew tremendously during the nineteenth century. When the United States entered World War 1 in 1914, there was a shortage of grain due to the long demands to feed the soldiers. Since grain is one of the major components in alcohol, the temperance movement now had the war to fuel their fight. Thus, the war played a large part in the introduction of Prohibition. During the net five years many states enacted their own prohibition laws, and finally, on December 16,1919, Amendment 18 went into effect. It states that, “…the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors…. For beverage purpose is hereby prohibited.”(Constitution)
The introduction of prohibition in 1919 created numerous opinions and issues in American society. Prohibition had been a long standing issue in America, with temperance organizations promoting it since the late eighteenth century. The movement grew tremendously during the nineteenth century. The Independent Order of Good Templars, one of the major temperance societies, increased it's membership by 350,000 between 1859 and 1869 (Behr 31). Other societies followed a similar trend, and millions of Americans belonged to temperance societies by the end of the nineteenth century. When the United States entered World War I in 1914, there was a shortage of grain due to the large demands to feed the soldiers. Since grain is one of the major components in alcohol, the temperance movement now had the war to fuel their fight. "The need to conserve grain, the importance of maintaining some semblance of discipline and devotion .... to demonstrate the nation's sober determination to protect its interests." (Repeal .. 1933) Thus, the war played a large part in the introduction of Prohibition. During the next five years many states enacted their own prohibition laws, and final...
The prohibitionists had several motives for letting loose their concern of alcohol. The main issue discussed, using the example of the average middle-class citizen, was the aspect of growing children and the effect of alcohol on the family. Facts show that children with parents that have major drinking problems are more “defective” than children with parents that have little to no alcohol trouble (doc. B). Also, more generally, the prohibitionists tried vigorously to directly relate prohibition to progressivism. This was one of their key tactics to their eventually success with the 18th. The movement had strong backup that showed the world that they weren’t just a group of extremists fighting for a cause that probably wouldn’t work. Their emphasis on fact and reason kept them afloat; this is shown (in doc. C) with the statements of the American Medical Association, mentioning that they specifically discourage the use of alcohol, and it is said as “detrimental to the human economy.”