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 * Prohibition of the 1920s**

__Causes and Reasons for Prohibition__

Prohibition was a ban on the sale, production, consumption, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. Leading up to the ban on alcohol in the early 1900s, 65% of the country had already made it illegal. Proponents (supporters of) of Prohibition were called drys (people/places that did not want alcohol- people who supported prohibition) included many women who were concerned about alcohol's link to wife beating and child abuse and business leaders, such as Henry Ford, who were concerned about the impact of drinking on labor productivity. Drys argued that outlawing drinking would eliminate corruption, families would grow closer, urban slums would disappear as would violence in America. Another argument for banning alcohol was to help our troops and the war effort. America 's entry into World War I made Prohibition seem patriotic since many breweries were owned by German Americans and also if our nation stopped the production of alcohol, it would conserve grain which should be used to make bread for our troops.

At midnight, January 16, 1920 , the United States went dry; breweries, distilleries, and saloons were forced to close their doors. The 18th amendment (which had been passed in 1917) took three years to go into effect.



__Life during Prohibition__

While it was illegal to have alcohol, that did not stop American's from drinking, and there were many loopholes that allowed them to do so. While many Americans were drys and wanted prohibition, there were a large number of wets in our nation (people/places against prohibition and who wanted alcohol). Some Americans were still permitted to possess alcohol for "medical purposes" and the production of small amounts was permitted for home use. This started a breed of bootleggers, or people who made alcohol illegally or smuggled it into the country from Canada or the Caribbean. Bootleggers often made alcohol at home (called bathtub gin or moonshine) and would sell it to illegal clubs for a profit. Because of the huge demand for alcohol, bootlegging became a competitive industry taken over by gangs, like those led by Al Capone.

Another loophole was that the 18th amendment did not outlaw "near beer" which is regular beer without the alcohol. The trick was that in order to make near beer, you needed to brew real beer and then have the alcohol removed, so many breweries insisted their product was scheduled to have the alcohol removed. Soon, illegal bars (called speakeasies), were popping up everywhere. These speakeasies were popular places to secretly break the law, listen to jazz and dance new scandalous dances, eat good food, and socialize- the perfect climate for the rule breaking flapper who often carried a hip flask full of some bootlegged alcohol.



__End of Prohibition__

While the intentions of Progressive drys was noble in that they were trying to decrease crime, in reality Prohibition had the opposite effect in many ways. While the number of drinkers may have decreased, the strength of the beverages increased. Because alcoholic production was illegal, there could be no regulation. Desperate individuals and greedy bootleggers made anything imaginable (in their basements or bathtubs)- often with disastrous results. Some alcohol sold during the era of prohibition caused nerve damage, blindness, and even death.

Another reason prohibition was not successful was because agents responsible for raiding speakeasies, finding stills, and arresting gangsters, were under-qualified and underpaid leading to a high rate of bribery. It was basically impossible to enforce prohibition when it was so unpopular with the public.

Additionally, the Stock Market Crash in 1929 and the beginning of the Great Depression started changing people's opinion. People needed jobs. The government needed money. Making alcohol legal again would open up many new jobs for citizens and additional sales taxes for the government.

On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified (under President FDR). The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment, making alcohol once again legal. This was the first and only time in U.S. history that an Amendment has been repealed.



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Prohibition Video

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Works Cited: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=441

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/p/prohibition.htm