'Merica Shall be Dry
Prohibition in the
United States was a measure designed to reduce drinking by eliminating the
businesses that manufactured, distributed, and sold alcoholic beverages. In the book, Prohibition and Repeal, Sylvia Engdahl stated that the prohibition of alcohol was no sudden event and that throughout the nineteenth century, there had been several temperance movements
leading to the ban of alcohol (16). Temperance originally meant moderating the use
of alcohol but for most supporters it eventually came to mean prohibiting it
completely(Engdahl,16). The remedy for “the organic disease” was not to
convince people to stop drinking or to change their ingrained habits but to
stop the corrupting influences on the young and that was the predominant reason
for the Amendments to be passed.
DID YOU KNOW?
-It was never illegal to drink during Prohibition.
The 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act, never barred
the consumption of alcohol-just making it, selling it
and shipping for mass production .
The
Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution
Passed by
Congress December 18, 1917. Ratified January 16, 1919. Repealed by Amendment
XXI.
The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution
prohibits the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquor, and
the import or export of liquor, within the United States and its territories,
starting one year from the ratification of this Article. Both Congress and the
states shall have the power to pass laws to enforce this article (Engdahl, 14)
The
Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution
Passed by
Congress February 20, 1933. Ratified December 5, 1933
The Eighteenth Amendment is hereby repealed. The
transportation of intoxicating liquor into any state, territory, or possession
of the United States is hereby prohibited if the liquor is intended for delivery
or use in violation of that territory’s laws (Engdahl,15).
 |
| Prohibition became possible with the support of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). |
"NO MORE RUMMIES!"
Supporters of Prohibition:
-Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR)
-Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)
-Prohibition Party
-Methodist Board of Temperance, Prohibition and Public Morals
-Anti-Saloon League
But we want John Barleycorn Back!
The prohibition of alcohol was intended to better society and end with the "evil" of alcohol but that was far from what happened. People turned to different options to obtain alcohol. Some people started to produce their own drink at home from wood alcohol and medical supplies, others would sell bootleg liquor in undercover bars called Speakeasies. Speakeasies were pretty interesting because in order to get in, you needed to give a password. Many people who were against Prohibition would not work, instead they would strike. Also, fashion had a great role during Prohibition. People who had obtained their "hooch" wanted to take it to parties and that is when they would wear the elaborate clothes shown below. The vial fixed in the high-heel shoe could hold a full shot of whiskey. DID YOU KNOW?
While Speakeasies were regarded as higher class, with food and entertainment, the term "blind pig" was used for dive bars, where costumers would pay to see an animal and receive a complementary drink.
"Who is this Gatsby anyhow?" demanded Tom Suddenly.
"Some big booglegger?"(Fitzgerald,107)
BACKFIRE OF PROHIBITION
Prohibition had a great impact in the American society and even though the point of Prohibition was to turn America's society into a "clean" and "pure" one, it turned out to be the opposite. One negative effect about Prohibition in society was that it drove people to go against the law. There were all sorts of underground alcohol smuggling usually referred to as "bootlegging". During Prohibition the respect for religion was gone, especially after the Volstead Act was passed. As mentioned before, the Volstead Act banned the production and sale of alcoholic beverages unless for religious or medical purposes. In Daniel Okrent's "Last Call", is a very interesting phrase that followed the fact that the Volstead Act allowed rabbis to distribute sacramental wines to synagogue members. It said that "wine congregations" exploded in size, and wine stores opened in Jewish Neighborhoods (34).
One of the worst things that Prohibition brought to the American Society was the organized crime. During Prohibition, corruption in the government increased due to the bribery that took place between organized crime leaders like Alphonse "Scar face" Capone and politicians. There was a lot of "dirty" business during this time period.
DID YOU KNOW?
Al Capone earned $60 million annually selling illegal liquor.
TIME TO BEAT IT!
I have to say that Prohibition was a very interesting thing to happen to the American Society. Most of the time people will only relate it to alcohol but I have learned it goes beyond that. It had great effects on the society we now live in. I really encourage you to look more into it because you never know what surprising thing you might learn.
Works Cited
"Al Capone." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
Engdahl, Sylvia. Amendments XVIII and XXI: Prohibition and Repeal. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven, 2009. Print.
Okrent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. New York: Scribner, 2010. Print
http://local.aaca.org/bntc/slang/slang.htm
http://www.conciergepreferred.com/chicago-guide/4340-fun-facts-about-prohibition-in-1920s-chicago.html
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