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Age Of Prohibition Dbq Essay

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As if becoming the decade of the worst economic bust in history, usually referred to as the Great Depression, was not enough, the early 19th century also came to be known as the age of Prohibition. For many years prior to the 1920s, a growing number of people had feared the damage alcohol could do to America. After years of work by organizations such as the Anti-Saloon League, the Eighteenth Amendment was passed and prohibition started on January 16, 1919 and continued until December 5, 1933. Although it was formed to stop drinking completely, it ended up being a resounding failure. It created a large number of bootleggers who were able to supply the public with illegal alcohol. Even most Americans viewed the amendment as a challenge and …show more content…

Although drinking was generally thought to have declined during Prohibition, it had instead, continued uninterrupted in many parts of the country, particularly in large cities and areas with large foreign-born populations. Smuggling on such a large scale could not be prevented, and the illegal manufacture of liquor sprang up with such speed that authorities were hard pressed to contain it. Thus began a period of illegal drinking, lawbreaking, organized crime, and the corruption of public officials. During Prohibition there was a 24 percent increase in crime rate between 1920 and 1921. The rate of arrests on account of drunkenness rose 41 percent, and arrests for drunken driving increased 81 percent. Thefts rose 9 percent, and assault and battery incidents rose 13 percent. By the end of Prohibition the number of federal convicts had increased 561 percent and the federal prison population increased by 361 percent from. All American cities experienced increases in crime, with Chicago becoming a prime example of this corruption. Speakeasies, illegal bars that often had their own bootleggers, began popping up all over the city. The bootleggers and the city officials both found the arrangements very profitable since bootleggers made money from their speakeasies and in turn paid off the police, politicians and corrupt prohibition

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Just think, no wine.no beer,no whiskey. This is prohibition. The leaders of the prohibition movement were alarmed at the drinking behavior of Americans. The law was ratified by the Federal and state government In January,1919.Prohibition in the United States was a measure designed to reduce drinking by eliminating the businesses that manufactured, distributed, and sold alcoholic beverages. The Eighteenth Amendment (prohibition law) to the United States Constitution took away license to do business from the brewers, distillers, vintners, and the wholesale and retail sellers of alcoholic beverages.

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In 1919, Congress passed the 18th Amendment which banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in America (Doc B). Prohibitionists overlooked the tenacious American tradition of strong drink and of weak control by the central government. Thus, there was tension between the modernists and the traditionalists. Although the amendment was passed, alcohol was still distributed illegally. Actually, prohibition spawned many crimes, such as illegal sale of alcohol and gang wars.

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By 1932, Americans had reversed the approval and disapproval making the disapproval rating had gone higher. Americans disapproved the prohibition because the criminality and murder went up, business’ were going down and it was impossible to enforce no alcohol. The rate of criminals went up leading to more murders when the Prohibition was enforced. Many criminals such as gangsters, racketeers, bootleggers, and dope sellers got “helped” out by prohibition. Especially in the Great Depression, were alcohol was even more wanted.

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Near the end of Prohibition, there was an average of 10 homicides per 100,000 people in America. Another way in which crime increased was the smuggling of alcoholic beverages. In Document C, it stated that "On the Atlantic Coast the smugglers are so numerous and so active that there is at all times a rum fleet standing off or anchored outside the 3-mile limit near New York and New Jersey.” The extreme increase in crime that the government couldn't really do anything about, changed Americans point of view on Prohibition.

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Temporary fun with lifelong consequences; alcohol. In 1919 the 18th amendment was ratified, this amendment declared it illegal to manufacture, transport and sell alcoholic beverages. America repealed Prohibition due to the crime rate increasing, failure of enforcement and no money being made off of alcohol. Due to the crime rate increasing majorly during Prohibition America had second thoughts on it. The US Census and FBI Uniform Crime Reports in Drug War Facts shows us a graph representing the homicide rate before, during and after the years of Prohibition.

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As the roaring twenties reached their end the battle against alcohol in the United States is just arising to a turning point. With serious controversy over the Volstead Act the country was greatly divided. There was also the extreme rising occurrences of crime, the creation of gangs and a newly established, unorganized criminal justice system. Prohibition was a disaster across America and the more reforment from the government just made things worse.

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The creation of illegal establishments like speakeasies would be the just the beginning of crime in the 1920s. Bootlegging, the illegal sell of alcohol became commonplace. Gangsters rose to power on the streets of cities like Chicago and New York. Criminals like Al Capone, and Charles “Lucky’ Luciano became household names. Prohibition, intended to fix America’s alcohol problem, only made it worse.

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By enforcing prohibition, the government hoped to decrease the death rate. But, prohibition did the opposite of its intention, it sparked an increase in death rates, both alcohol and non-alcohol influenced. During the preceding time period of prohibition, the rate of deaths from alcohol had begun to decrease, but around 1920 when prohibition was enforced, it suddenly increased again (Document F). This information shows that prohibition, specifically, triggered the death rate to ascend, again. Also, the death rate from alcohol poisoning was soaring during prohibition (IG).

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For example violations increased. A chart from the Bureau of the Census in Document F proves that the increase in violations and the homicide rates. During the thirteen years active, the prohibition saw a huge increase in homicides peeking at nearly 10 per 100,000 people. Furthermore, The Ken Burns Documentary states that a man that went to prison accused of alcohol related violations shot his wife. The reason for him shooting his wife was because she had left him for another man during his time in prison.

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Many people also saw drinking as a huge drag on the economy and wasting money on alcohol was unpatriotic. Prohibition lasted for about 13 years, it was the banning of alcohol manufacturing, transporting, and selling in the United States. America repealed the 18th amendment which ended prohibition because of crime, weak enforcement with lack of respect for the law and economic reasons. One of the reasons the federal government repealed prohibition was because of the increase of crimes.

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The era of prohibition started in 1920. Thirteen out of thirty states had outlawed prohibition already, but World War One had made its way to the US, and people needed jobs. Breweries and distilleries were opening up all over the country again. When the war had ended, there were wet (people for prohibition) and dry (people against prohibition) in the government. There were lobbiers wanting prohibition to come back.

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A world without alcohol is hard to believe. Most of today 's society wouldn’t be able to wrap their head around it. In the United States prohibition was a nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages it remained in place from 1920 to 1933. When the 18th amendment was passed in the year 1919 America was asking for chaos. With everything that affected the United States during prohibition, it is because of the increase in crime, weak enforcement, lack of respect for the law, and economic suffrage that the 18th amendment was repealed.

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(Blumenthal, 54). On January 16, 1920, the law of Prohibition became a national law as the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect. “Exactly one minute after January 16, 1920, became January 17, daily life in America was immediately changed” (Blumenthal, 59). This law put a ban on production, sale, and transportation of any alcoholic beverage across the nation. People throughout the United States began to protest against the

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The prohibition outlawed alcohol to try and diminish the crime rate. This led to a higher consumption of alcohol and illicit speakeasies. As fast as the police closed down one venue, more would spring up in its place (Prohibition in the United States). Government intrusion with the Volstead Act of 1919 outlawed beverages over 0.5 alcohol volume

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These people were the major crime bosses of New York, Chicago, Atlantic City, and L.A. The crime bosses and their mafias used this money to fuel other illegal ventures. Crime grew exponentially. The mobsters of Chicago, Detroit, and New York City all found ways to traffic banned items during prohibition to grow their mobs. The Chicago Mafia alone earned an estimated 4,000,000 dollars a year on average during prohibition. Police and the government officials relied on the mob for alcohol.

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