National Alcohol Prohibition In The 1920's

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Reading Guide: What are the policy lessons of National Alcohol Prohibition in the United States, 1920–1933? by Wayne Hall

Summary: This text describes the history surrounding National Alcohol Prohibition (NP) and the implications it may have on modern policy-making. It highlights the main causes and effects of the 18th Amendment and the 1920 Volstead Act, as well as how these cause-effect relationships can be applied to current policy around alcohol.

The Anti-Saloon League (or ASL), funded initially by evangelical Protestant churches, aimed to institute bans on alcohol with the primary intention to improve economic growth. However, due to poor enforcement, black markets soon developed in areas like Chicago and New York, resulting in only a 30-40% net decrease in alcohol use during NP. Additionally, this caused public misperception of big cities to worsen, with many believing falsely there to be a “crime wave.” Ultimately, with the Great Depression leading to economic disaster and the worsening public perception of crime in big cities, the vast majority of historians deem NP predominantly a national failure.

The text concludes by mentioning that, although NP was a failure, less extreme policies restricting alcohol - including increasing alcohol taxes and stricter regulation of alcohol sales - can still prove beneficial in decreasing alcohol consumption.

Reflection:

How was your understanding …show more content…
In what ways did National Alcohol Prohibition impact American society (economically, culturally, etc.)? In what ways was public opinion of National Alcohol Prohibition shaped by bias/misperception? How can understanding the failures of National Alcohol Prohibition provide insight into and/or differ from modern day applications? What policies might more effectively accomplish the goal of National Alcohol Prohibition? Overall, is the overall public perception of National Alcohol Prohibition mostly accurate or inaccurate to
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