Positive Effects Of The 18th Amendment

Not many amendments in the United States’ Constitution are as well-known as the 18th amendment. This amendment, also called the Volstead Act, or Prohibition, established a landmark in the history of the United States. Prohibition’s effects involved people’s reactions towards the amendment, the serious questions it raised in regards to the government’s involvement in everyday life, and alcohol’s classification as a drug in the United States/ The push for Prohibition began in the 1826 when the American Temperance Society was established to warn people of the adverse effects of alcohol and to promote abstinence from drinking1. Years later, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was founded in 1874 by a group of women to encourage an anti-drinking

In December of 1917, Congress was able to pass 18th amendment, which stated that “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors,…for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.”3 By 1919, enough states had ratified the amendment, and it was officially made into law.3 Thus, the many advocates for Prohibition finally accomplished their goal, and looked forward to what they believed would be a more morally guided America. Of course, Prohibition did its job-at first. The consumption of alcohol and rate of alcoholism fell. However, many problems arose as well. Many people could make their own alcohol and secretly sell it, and national enforcement was difficult. Cities like San Francisco and Boston never enforced the new law, some states never ratified the amendment, and Congress did not provide enough funds to establish an efficient national police force. Due to lack of enforcement, speakeasies, or underground saloons, quickly became popular among the upper-class and those who refused to accept Prohibition, and bootleggers, or alcohol smugglers, were increasingly hired to obtain alcohol from Canada and the Caribbean2. This is how the public reacted to Prohibition- met with enthusiasm by its supporters, but those who refused to accept Prohibition outright defied and disregarded

As most know, Progressives sought reforms to improve the lives of the common people during times of corruption and economic difficulties. However, how far is too far? Should government be allowed to legislate morality? This question is highly opinionated and will probably never have a definite answer. Citizens are taught that the American government represents all the people, and the decisions that they make are based on what the majority of the population wants. After all, Prohibition would never have been passed if the majority of the people had opposed it. But the problem with legislating morality, like Prohibition, is that not everyone wants the government dictating what he or she can and cannot do, especially on things that most people think they have a freedom of choice because it involves their personal lives. Except for laws that prevent harm towards others (murder, assault, theft, etc.), people have different opinions on what they view as right or wrong. People have different values and morals, and in the United States, where so many cultures have blended together, passing “morality laws” are difficult. Prohibition started out as a noble cause- even today, alcohol poses a problem and could be improved, but in the end, morality simply could not prevail and only ended in disaster. As a lesson learned from Prohibition, government should not legislate morality.