Alcoholism During The 1920's Essay

Since the turn of the century, many people have denounced alcohol and the danger it has on society. In some circumstances, the idea of banning alcohol was a strategic mechanisms used during the war to “ keep the country patriotic, and thus strong “(McDonnell 394). Whereas in others alcohol is simply banned for religious reasons. During the 1920’s, Prohibition was, orthe Eighteenth Amendment, was the controversy that everyone had an opinion on. The first section of the Eighteenth Amendment states that after the first year of being ratified, “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol” or the product being imported or exported of the United States was hereby prohibited. The eighteenth amendment was passed because of many movements who

The “wets” believed the law was ineffective and an unnecessary restriction on the rights of an American. The “drys” however felt as though this law was a much need confrontation for the nation to take a hard look at oneself. This split made enforcement difficult. Federal agents often spilled beer and liquor directly into the gutter to prove to opposers that the law would be enforced. These actions led to the Volstead Act that defined an “alcoholic beverage” to any drink that contains more than 0.5% of alcohol. However there was never enough manpower to fully enforce this law with anywhere between 1500-2300 agents and investigators for the whole country and because of this, organized crime increased, bring terror to the street of cities across the nation. Though meant to promote moral virtue, Prohibition counteracted itself by leading a rise in illegal bars and a huge increase in organized black markets controlled largely by the gangsters. Granted, organized crimes did exist before the 1920’s, it wasn’t till Prohibition that it became hugely profitable, and with money came strength and influence. The crimes that these mob members committed went unpunished, for enormous sums of money enable the mobsters to buy the cooperation they needed. Almost nearly 2 billion dollars went from the hands of alcohol makers to the hand of