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 in
Much of the increase is due to increased organized crime and the arise of gangsters, most notably Al Capone. Crime and drinking increased and the legal system was filled. If gangsters couldn't buy or successfully threaten someone in a powerful position, they would either run a candidate against them in the next election, or kill them. Another common way to get alcohol was to take advantage of the medicinal exception. After 12 years, the political and governmental power structure of most large cities, and several states were controlled by gangsters (OSU). These gangsters usually got their alcohol by smuggling it into the country, often from Canada and the French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon or they illegally produced it under ground. Prohibition completely ruined the American law system. Because beer had to be transported in large quantities the price of beer went up and Americans began to drink less of it. Prohibition caused alcohol to become a sign of rebellious nature. Instead, they began to drink more hard liquor, which was more concentrated and easier to transport, therefore less expensive Prohibition was unsuccessful because it raised alcohol consumption. He was eventually caught for envision of income tax. It was such a large market, the gangsters became rich very fast. In the 1920's the number of prescriptions for alcohol skyrocketed. He also controlled prostitution and gambling in Chicago and made large amounts of his money by selling alcohol.
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