The Failures of Prohibition

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In the 1920s, prohibition was put into effect. No one was allowed to consume, sell, or transport alcoholic beverages. Prohibition was meant to help Americans better themselves physically and emotionally. It was also meant to decrease crime rate and reduce taxes on jails and poorhouses. Prohibition was the government’s way of attempting to purge moral failings. Prohibition was indeed a failure. In David E. Kyvig’s article, he argues that prohibition was in fact a failure. Kyvig states that, “While in reality national prohibition sharply reduced the consumption of alcohol in the United States, the law fell considerably short of expectations. It neither eliminated drinking nor produced a sense that such a goal was within reach” (200). Kyvig explains how the government had a noble way of thinking but did not see what was coming with the evolution of prohibition. The government was overwhelmed with all of the lawbreakers and different movies that were made concerning prohibition. Kyvig also states that, “The picture of national prohibition which emerged over the course of the 1920s dise...

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