1920's Prohibition was a Complete Failure

             On January 16, 1920 the United States passed the 18th amendment, prohibiting all manufacturing importing, exporting, transporting, and selling of intoxicating beverages. By 1916, 26 of the 48 states had prohibition laws (Answers), but the 18th Amendment was the first national move to stop liquor. When the amendment came before the Senate in 1917, it was passed after only 13 hours of debate. When the House of Representatives accepted it soon after the debate, it only took a single day. The state legislatures then ratified it in short order and by January of 1919, the necessary three-quarters of the states had accepted it and the amendment was added to the Constitution. Soon after the 18th Amendment the Volstead Act was passed which clarified the 18th amendment saying anything containing more than .5% alcohol by volume was illegal. The only exception to this act was alcohol used for medicinal and sacramental purposes. Herbert Hoover called prohibition a "noble experiment" and this experiment was a complete failure. The act was created to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America. It was ineffective because it dramatically increased and encouraged crime, increased the drinking rate, and destroyed the law system.
             The Prohibition Movement greatly increased and encouraged crime. Once the 18th amendment was passed crime rates nearly doubled from 5.6 (per 100,000 population) in the pre-prohibition period, to nearly 10 (per 100,000 population) during prohibition period and Homicide and assault increased nearly 13 percent (Grolier). Much of the increase is due to increased organized crime and the arise of gangsters, most notably Al Capone. He was responsible for many brutal deaths and caused large amounts of terror in Chicago creating the famous Valentines Day Massacre. He also controlled prostitution and gambling in Chicago a...

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1920's Prohibition was a Complete Failure. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 11:35, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/26888.html