Prohibition Essay

From 1920 to 1933, the production and consumption of alcohol were banned throughout the entirety of the United States. The banning of alcohol was seen as a way to save men from wrongdoing and sin, but what people didn’t realize was the horrific outcome of this law. For fourteen years, prohibition reigned over the people, leading to thousands of deaths via poisons and crime-related violence. Prohibition was America’s worst experiment, and the damage done by this law is irreversible. Prohibition started in the 1920s after World War 1 and ended in 1933. This law was birthed out of the concern for the country’s well-being as well as an organization called the Women's Christian Temperance Movement. This organization was founded in 1874 as a group

On the whole, it seemed like an ambitious way to clean America up. This law was expected to help clean up streets, boost economic growth, lower the crime rate, and boost the theatrical entertainment business as well as many other businesses. Surprisingly, this did not come to fruition, and instead, crime went up as people profited off of the illegal liquor trade. Restaurant businesses went under shortly after the law passed, along with entertainment businesses like theaters, (Lerner). This was entirely unexpected, the government had assumed that once liquor was banned the people of America would simply stop drinking altogether, but instead, people like Al Capone capitalized on the selling of alcohol. Capone’s mob was one of the many that produced and sold alcohol calling it a “growth industry”, (“Al Capone”). Prohibition was a growth industry for many, it was almost a power vacuum in a way, and gangs were all taking the opportunity to capitalize on this. People all across the country were desperate enough to break the law for a

As gangsters grew in wealth and bravery with prohibition so did the increase in law enforcement and judges turning a blind eye when bribed by criminals like Al Capone. Chicago had become the worst spot in America, with a high crime rate produced by prohibition. According to the FBI, in Chicago alone, there were over 1,300 gangs present, causing law enforcement to become overwhelmed. These officers were easily corrupted, and it began to spread like wildfire as even President Coolidge had to fire Harding’s Attorney General Harry Daugherty and replace him. Corruption in law enforcement became a top priority during the prohibition, this helped bring forth the Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI). The FBI helped take down criminals like Capone and other mob bosses that were too powerful for regular police to touch, making the FBI an extremely important organization to have in