Prohibition In The 1920's

Words: 585

Pages: 3

Open Document

Known as the “Roaring 20’s”, the 1920’s was a decade full of profound social, technological, and economic advances. People had recently gained a much more positive outlook on life and were looking to celebrate following the end of World War One. Cities were expanding and producing large amounts of goods. Jazz became a popular source of entertainment. Women's suffrage granted women the right to vote. Also, the new concept of buying on margin allowed the stock market to grow to an all time high. Things were looking good for America. However, many people saw the United States changing in undesirable ways as well, leaving society with some cultural conflicts. One of the biggest issues of the time was prohibition. The 18th Amendment was put in place by President Woodrow Wilson and became effective January 16th, 1920. The new law banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors. Initially, this movement was defended as a war measure. It was argued that grain should be saved to create bread for the fighting men instead of for making liquor. …show more content…
Obviously these people didn’t like the idea of prohibition and soon enough figured out a way around it. Paying no mind to the 18th Amendment, these people began making alcohol illegally. Those who distributed or produced liquor illegally were referred to as bootleggers. They either smuggled into cities or manufactured it on their own. One of the most common booze they made was called moonshine. Since the liquor was being made at home and not being made professionally, it was more unsafe to drink than before when it was supervised. Bootleggers were some of the most popular people of their time. They were the only source of liquor for enjoyment purposes. These bootleggers were very brave, they faced the chance of getting arrested. However, being a bootlegger was well worth the risk due to the high

The Prohibition In The 1920's

In 1920, the prohibition became present by the Eighteenth Amendment. It was a law that forbade the sale of alcohol across the USA. The prohibition was mainly brought in by women, who have accused the high consumption of alcohol between men have caused violence and abuse towards their wives. It is debatable that the prohibition either did help out by lowering crime rate and other abusive related stuff, or just made the problem bigger for the country. People started smuggling alcohol in and some have…

Words 92 - Pages 1

Prohibition In The 1920's

The 1920s, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of social, cultural, and political changes, such as prohibition and organized crime. The United States Congress ratified the 18th Amendment in 1919 which prohibited the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol. This was called Prohibition and went into effect in 1920. The country was supposed to be dry, meaning alcohol free. The purpose of the law was to reduce alcohol consumption and one way of doing that was to take away business…

Words 1378 - Pages 6

The Prohibition Of The 1920's

"Prohibition did not achieve its goals. Instead, it added to the problems it was intended to solve." On January 16, 1920, the Eighteen Amendment was put into effect and all transporting, importing, exporting, selling, and manufacturing of intoxicating liquor was halted. By then already 25 states in America were already dry, this was because the government thought that banning alcohol would reduce crime rates. This amendment was the product of decades of effort by groups such as the Women’s Christian…

Words 1746 - Pages 7

Prohibition In The 1920's

A year after, in 1920 the Volstead Act known as the National Prohibition Act was enacted, making all the beverages “intoxicating” illegal if they contain more than 0.5 percent alcohol. They were several reasons why they did this amendment, such as the contribution of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League. Americans enjoyed a drink, they loved the alcohol, but not all Americans had the same view about alcoholic beverages. For Americans, the Prohibition era’s was difficult…

Words 1445 - Pages 6

Prohibition in the 1920's Essay

Prohibition in the 1920’s During the 1920’s there were many things that were detrimental to the country. In this era, in the United States of America, the legal drinking age is twenty-one. However, this wasn’t always the case. In the 1920’s there was no legal drinking age. In fact after the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S constitution, the transportation, manufacture and sale of alcohol was prohibited by the United States; Hence the name “Prohibition”. The impact the prohibition…

Words 1016 - Pages 5

Prohibition In The 1920's Essay

Many problems occurred during the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. There was the increase in crime, corruption by law officials and administrators, the difficulties of enforcing prohibition, the interference of traditional drinking and the changing attitudes of the American people towards the prohibition. The problems began with the assistance of the prohibitionists; who worked hard on pushing the idea of prohibition into Congress, even before the 1920’s. The eighteenth amendment on December…

Words 1114 - Pages 5

The Role Of Prohibition In The 1920's

In the 1920’s, the American government found it necessary to ban alcohol. This was a very unpopular idea that most people hated. Think about it, an everyday item for some people now becomes illegal. Tempers flared and troubles arose. The history, reactions, and consequences are important to the lessons learned from prohibition. As with anything, prohibition had its lead up. The 18th amendment allowed prohibition by restricting the transportation, sale, and making of alcohol. With that said, that…

Words 302 - Pages 2

The Prohibition Era Of The 1920's

Prohibition era of the 1920s gave rise to the organized crime syndicate in the United States. Federal efforts to enforce prohibition, including raids on speakeasies, were countered by well-organized bootlegging operations with national and international connections. A particularly notorious gang of the times was Al Capone`s mob in Chicago. There were also gangs in Detroit, New York and other cities. Wars among gangs, producing killings, frequently made headlines.…

Words 68 - Pages 1

The Role Of Prohibition In The 1920's

culture But also, a time of great destruction. The 1920s were a great deal of corruption. It all capitalized organized crime. All because of the banning of alcohol. As a result this amendment caused rumrunners, bootleggers and gangsters, like Al Capone. Speakeasies were where the illegal beverages were distributed. Prohibition led to the destruction of society in the 1920s. Prohibition was admitted in the 20th century. The Prohibition period was also referred to as the “Noble Experiment”…

Words 771 - Pages 4

The Enactment Of Prohibition In The 1920's

The Enactment of Prohibition I believe that prohibition should definitely be enacted due to the many consequences people face when consuming alcohol. Many women of the era wanted to push the prohibition on alcohol. For example, women told men to drink in moderation or to completely abstain from alcohol. This is because many people believed that alcohol was the cause of many social illnesses and alcohol abuse. Today, many people suffer from social and mental illnesses related to the effects of alcoholism…

Words 292 - Pages 2