Prohibition was the eighteenth amendment, the Volstead Act, which was passed on October 10th, 1919 (Online, AOL) against alcohol (Bowen, 154). This Act outlined that it was illegal to import, export, transport, sell, manufacture, barter, and own any beverages which contained more than 0.5% (Bowen, 154) alcohol excluding the alcohol used for medicinal and sacramental purposes (Bowen, 154). Alcohol destroyed families, caused madness, and caused the army to be less alert during the war since most of them were drunk.
Prohibition's main reasons to be introduced to the United States was to reduce crime, poverty, death rates, tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, improve health and hygiene in America, solve social problems, and improve the economy and the quality of life. The government, even though they passed the law, did not fund well for this almost impossible project (Online, Prohibition Crime: Everyone is a Criminal). This Act was however ineffective, instead it caused more problems than ever (Online, Prohibition in the 1920s: Thirteen Years That Damaged America). This act increased homicide, in large cities, from 5.6 (per 100,000 population) in the pre-prohibition period, which was before the 1920s, to nearly 10 (per 100,000 population) during prohibition, increased a nearly 78 percent (Online, Prohibition of the 1920s: Thirteen Years That Damaged America). In addition, the number of federal convicts over the course of prohibition period increased 561 percent (Online, Prohibition in the 1920s: Thirteen Years That Damaged America). It also increased the amount of alcohol consumption as well. An average of 2,000 people died each year from poisoned liquor made from industrial alcohol that didn't have all of the additives removed (Baughman, 234). Since less alcohol was available in the country, the alcohol prices shot up. The alcohol was then exported from Canada by rumrunners and bootleggers. Bootleggers earned 800% more (Online, Prohibition Crime: Everyone is a Criminal) by selling off their merchandise. Even the commoners started to export alcohol across the Canadian - American border. They hid the alcohol in their pants, long coats, sleeves, canes, heels of shoes, false books, and almost anything they could find. It also gave them access to buy more transports for alcohol, most commonly cars and boats for transporting alcohol. One of the worst effects of Prohibition was alcohol export being controlled by huge gangsters like Al Capone, who had his headquarters based in Chicago. These liquors were also sold in speak-easies after the Saloons were destroyed. More than 100,000 speak-easies were in New-York City alone (Bowen, 160). With only 1,550 federal agents and over 18,700 miles of (Bowen, 166) "vast and virtually unpoliceable coastline" (Wenburn, 234), "it was clearly impossible to prevent immense quantities of liquor from entering the country" (Behr, 162). Barely five percent of smuggled liquor was caught from coming into the county (Online, Prohibition in the 1920s). The agents also used the Coast Guard vessels to catch rumrunners.
Prohibition did solve some of the problems in the United States for the first few years. The crime, poverty, death rates, tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, improve health and hygiene in America, solve social problems, and improve the economy and the quality of life, everything has dropped quite as much; but did not last for long. Right after the Prohibition period of Canada was over, and the gangs like Al Capone got involved, everything got even worse than it was before. The Prohibitionists thought that since it was illegal to buy, sell, manufacture, barter, export, import, or even drink alcohol, people wouldn't drink. They were wrong about people not drinking alcohol, but in a different sense they were right. The consumption of alcohol did decrease because the alcohol was imported from Canada and overseas which increased the prices drastically. Even though some of the alcohol was available at a very low price, it was also risk that people who could not afford alcohol imported from Canada and different countries took. About 2,000 (Baugham, 234) people died each year due to poisoned liquor made at home or at industries but did not have all the additives removed. It also solved social problems for some time because husbands of families did not have to abuse their wives or children, both sexually and physically because they weren't drunk as they used to be. Even though passing the 21st amendment in the spring of 1933 repelled prohibition by Franklin D. Roosevelt, it did a lot of harm to the United States.
Prohibition did solve some of the problems, but there was more harm done than there was good to the United States. The government shouldn't have continued Prohibition for 13 years because it did much harm to the United States, which still remains as a tragic history.
Bowen, Ezra, ed. This Fabulous Century. 6 volumes. New York: Time Life Books, 1969.
"Healthier Workers." [Online] Available: http://homer.louisville.edu/~kprayb01/1920s,society-2.html#A-1, April 4, 1999.
"Prohibition - A Brief History." [Online] Available: http://members.aol.com/seven9000/prohib.htm, April 1, 1999.
"Prohibition Crime: Everyone is a Criminal." [Online] Available: http://www.msu.edu/course/mc/112/1920s/Prohibition/page9.html, April 1, 1999.
"Prohibition in the 1920s: Thirteen Years That Damaged America." [Online] Available: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/4399, April 1, 1999.
"Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America." [Online] Available: http://www.aetv.com/scenes/prohibition/, April 4, 1999.
"Why Prohibition." [Online] Available: http://www.history.ohio- state.edu/projects/prohibition/whyprohibition.htm, April 1, 1999.
Here are some links to really good sites on Prohibition which you would like to check out:- Healthie Workers Prohibition - A Brief History Prohibition Crime: Everyone is a Ciminal Prohibition in the 1920s: Thirteen Years That Damaged America http://www.aetv.com/scenes/prohibition/ Why Prohibition U.S. Consumption of Beverage Alcohol Graph Prohibition in the 1920s
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