Causes And Effects Of Prohibition Essay Research

Causes And Effects Of Prohibition Essay, Research Paper

Causes and Effects Of the Prohibition

Since at least the turn of the century, reformers had been denouncing alcohol as a

danger to society as well as to the human body. The true feeling behind this thought was

that the use of alcohol was due to the influence of the city. The first American colonists

started out with the belief that city life was wicked and evil, whereas country and village

life were good (Sinclair 10). Later, during the war, the idea of prohibition was a way of

keeping the country patriotic, and thus strong. A common phrase was .A drunk worker is

not a productive worker. (McDonnel 394). Throughout history, there were many reasons

to push a Prohibition amendment; however, though many of the causes for Prohibition

were honorable, most of the effects did more harm for America than good.

The first section of the Eighteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states,

.After one year from the ratification of this article, the manufacture, sale, or transportation

of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from

the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes

is hereby prohibited.. What this meant was, it was illegal to make, transport, or sell

alcoholic beverages in the United States. Lasting almost fourteen years, the Eighteenth

Amendment was repealed in December of 1933, when the Twenty-First Amendment was

ratified under Franklin D. Roosevelt. In this short time, America underwent a great

transformation due to the new law.

There were many causes for the Prohibition movement. One main cause was

religious revivalism. Prohibition was a result of the Protestant communities action to

assert its dominant position in the nation.s culture. They believed that once this was

achieved, the whole nation would be under the sway of Protestant moral values. Social

reform was another reason Prohibition was supported. .Prohibition was an attempt to

reassert what were considered traditional American values. in a time of high immigration

– to .force newer members of the population into a life-style that they were unwilling to

accept. (Compton.s Living, .Historical Background.). It was enacted because rural,

small town Americans, who were attempting to stop what they felt was the corrupting

influence of the growing cities, held the highest percentage of the population, and

therefore the balance of power in state legislatures and in Washington, DC. The original

intention of the reform was pure moderation; however, because there was no way to

enforce this, Prohibition resulted. Rural Americans and Protestants weren.t the only

supporters of the Prohibition. Other religious groups for the act included Baptists and

Methodists. There were also many Americans who viewed alcohol as dangerous and

destructive. .Prohibitionists, who viewed alcohol as a dangerous drug that destroyed lives

and disrupted families and communities, argued that it was the government.s responsibility

to free citizens from the temptation of drink by barring its sale. (Kerr 1). Many woman

fought for the banning of alcohol to protect homes and families, for they believed an

alcoholic husband spent the family.s entire income on liquor and often abused their wives

or children, both sexually and physically. They founded the Women.s Christian

Temperance Union in 1874. This group alone caused 6 states to pass prohibition laws.

Other organizations fought for the passage of Prohibition laws. One was the National

Prohibition Party, a political group founded in 1869. Another was the Anti-Saloon

League. Founded in 1893, it was the strongest organization to fight prohibition. Instead

of putting candidates up for office as other groups did, the Anti-Saloon act worked for or

against candidates throughout campaigns based on their view on the movement.

Politically, opposition to Prohibition became synonymous with the Democratic Party.

Those for the amendment typically voted Republican. In 1928, Al Smith was nominated

by the Democrats because he opposed the movement to ban alcohol. The party lost the

election because of the large numbers of rural Americans voting against Smith. Ideas of

prohibition was finally beginning to take hold in American society.

Though there were many supporters of Prohibition, there were also many

opposers. People believed it was an infringement of their rights, and out of tune with the

times of wealth, automobiles, travel, radio, motion pictures, and good times. Soon there

was a great split in American society — the .wets., who believed the law an ineffective

and unnecessary restriction on personal choice, generally urban Americans, versus the

.drys., rural Americans who supported the amendment. This split made enforcement

difficult. Federal agents, in desperate times, often spilled beer and liquor directly into the <

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