Prohibition in the 1920's
Following the year 1919 came a decade of corruption and many changes in the way people lived. For a while in the United States people lived as though their reputation mattered more than anything, and letting go and having fun were not the appropriate things, especially for woman to do. With the many changes came one of great importance that actually made American citizens appear more innocent Prohibition in the 1920's came hard to many Americans, mostly men. The banning of selling, making, and transporting alcohol was enforced through the Volstead Act. Effective on January 16, 1920, at 12:00 pm, the Volstead Act was the start of a new experiment in the United States. The chief prohibition leaders Mr. Volstead, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Wheeler, and Mr. Sheppard all gathered at the First Congregational Church to watch the act become legal. Prohibition and the Volstead Act were induced to reduce crime
Warburton, an important economist, found that the quantity of alcohol purchased may have fallen 20 percent between the prewar years 1911-14 and 1927-30. That law states that the more intense the law enforcement, the more compelling the prohibited substance becomes. The whole point of Prohibition was to decrease the consumption of alcohol, which wasn't exactly the outcome. Alcohol consumption had been declining since 1910, reaching an all-time low during the depression of 1921, and then began to increase in 1922. Bootleggers, who made their own alcohol and ran it from Canada were another gateway. Prohibition had great effects on every aspect of alcohol production, distribution, and consumption. The fourth reason may actually be the most important, a decrease in the quantity of alcohol consumed did not make Prohibition a success. The repeal of Prohibition in 1933 dramatically reduced crime, including organized crime, and corruption. It led many drinkers to switch to opium, marijuana, patent medicines, cocaine, and other dangerous substances that they would have been unlikely to encounter in the absence of Prohibition. Third, the resources devoted to enforcement of Prohibition increased along with consumption. Jobs were created, and new voluntary efforts, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which was created in 1934. Although consumption of alcohol fell at the beginning of Prohibition, it subsequently increased. When drugs or alcoholic beverages are prohibited, they will be replaced with unknown or dangerous substances, and will not be produced and consumed under normal market constraints. Even if we agree that society would be better off if less alcohol were consumed, it does not follow that decreasing consumption through Prohibition made society better off.
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