Film And Film: The Rise Of Prohibition

Prohibition Prohibition is a past amendment that was put into place in 1920 up until 1933. As we look back that was already eighty-two years ago. It’s hard to believe the band of any alcohol beverage in this time of age. Alcohol is used for every occasion, for example, when we are sad we drink to suppress our feelings, or when we are happy we drink to celebrate our joys. It is easy to find an occasion to drink without even trying. Although there are some people that may reach a point where they develop alcohol use disorder, but pulling it right out from under people doesn’t seem like a good idea in this decade. In both the movie and article the main points that it explained about prohibition were that; alcohol was blamed for many things going

The article and movie both talked about it in slightly different ways. The movie talked more into detail about the gang violence and the rise of Al Capone. While the article talked more about the black market that had formed. The groups that supported national prohibition were certain that prohibition would create less crime. What they fail to realize is when you take something that people once really enjoyed away, you’re only forcing secrecy. If people want something they will find ways to get it without regards if it’s legal or not. The black market was facilitated by “wet” states who still didn’t comply with the laws of prohibition, and people called “bootleggers” could be found walking in the streets. These is when Al Capone had started becoming the best known “gangster” during these times. He had controlled illegal alcohol trades in Chicago, including the bootleggers previously mentioned. He very well known for his acts of violence, a well-known massacre being St. Valentine’s Day massacre, which took place while prohibition was in effect. Al Capone was a representation of the falling of order and lack of respect for laws. It is kind of crazy to think of all the things Capone did, he was only put away for tax invasion. This rise of Al Capone makes me wonder how dangerous he would have become if alcohol band wasn’t in effect. You can really bring into question the different possibilities and what ifs if prohibition had never

We can see in the present day that alcohol does present a good revenue income overall for the economy. What we can also see is that partial prohibition is a lot more productive because instead of taking away, you are just creating restrictions. For example, the drinking of age 21 and no sale of alcohol on Sundays lowered the number of teenage drinking and also gave respect to a, what some may consider to be, a religious day. The best we can all take out of prohibition is to always remember how ineffective it was and what it did to overall to the community/economy, because “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”-George