Markist
The Power is in the People Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. (The United States Constitution: The First Amendment). By the action taken on December 12, 1791 (when the Bill of Rights was adopted), the United States of America granted its people a power that would prove extremely potent one-hundred and twenty-nine years later. During the era of Prohibition (1920-1933), people took whatever action necessary to get their way, and did so through the rights afforded to them in the First Amendment. Individuals in favor of Prohibition, seeing the benefits of the institution, worked together to sustain it. Those against Prohibition, feeling a violation of their rights, acted just as intensely, if not even more so, to stop the movement. The government, ignoring the voice of the people, was primarily concerned with keeping Prohibition alive. However, the right to individual voice, a principle upon which the United States was founded, made it impossible for an institution such as Prohibition to exist success
This also changed the restrictions on alcohol that were originally applied due to World War I. Some individuals saw entering politics and taking public office as the best way to make a difference in the fight for Prohibition. The price of liquor increased dramatically. Acts were passed and revisions were proposed, but they were never for the people that they "represented"; they were for continuing Prohibition, something the government created and therefore needed to succeed. Seatlle: Doubleday, Doran and Company. God and religion were essential to those fighting to keep Prohibition intact. He believed that with people such as himself in positions of power, the chances of the 18th Amendment (outlawing anything involving alcohol) being repealed were practically non-existent (Merz ix). Beer prices rose 700%, brandy rose 433%, and spirits increased 270% from their pre- Prohibition prices (Thornton 4). The potency of alcoholic beverages increased drastically as well, by an average of 150%. 8 gallons/year per capita during the height of Prohibition from five times less than that in 1850 (Merz 12). Throughout Prohibition, its members went from town to town speaking out against saloons and alcohol (Merz 8). The Volstead Act was responsible, in large part, for the increase of crime that occurred in the early 1920's , which eventually resulted in the prisons exceeding their capacities (Thornton 9). The most severe problems resulted from the illegal manufacture of liquor by individuals, and from numerous rebellious acts that brought about more crime.
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Acceptance Essays
