Prohibition In The 1920s Essay

The 1920s marked the birth of a new social and political age, with the country’s overall wealth more than doubling during the decade, introducing more recreational uses for money, and the amount of people living in urban areas outnumbering that of rural areas. For the first time in America, people were becoming more interconnected with each other, shown through national interest in the same goods, the same music, the same dance techniques, and even the same slang. This “Mass Culture” led to many new things in the 1920s, such as “The Jazz Age”, which gave many a chance to express themselves artistically with worldwide gratification, and the new role given to women in America. However, not every part of the 1920s was so grand. One of the most

Around this time, a Protestant religious revival had started focusing on the effects alcohol had on many American families. As the groups targeting alcoholism grew, so did the fear of drunkenness in America. Stereotypes about alcoholics grew more prominent and malicious, depicting them as mindless fools wasting money on alcohol rather than helping support their families. Some notable groups that condemned legalized alcohol were: The Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League (“18th And 21st Amendments”). Near 1906, the ASL became determined to prohibit alcohol sales within the state of Ohio, beginning the Temperance Movement. This movement started with the moderation of alcohol but quickly strived for complete abstinence of the drug. Although the idea of alcohol temperance can be traced back to early religious revivalism, it would later come to dominate legislation in many regions. Additionally, it combined moral and political compasses, and the more modern time period allowed for a national scope of the organized cooperation of women (“Eighteenth Amendment”). The people approving the temperance movement feared that God would no longer bless the United States with it’s current level of alcohol consumption. This caused the divide between alcohol drinkers and those against alcohol in America (“Temperance

The ratification stated that within one year, all manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes was to be strictly prohibited (George, Richards). This led to fear among alcoholics and mass manufacture of alcoholic beverages in preparation for the enforcement of this law. People began stockpiling alcohol in order to combat the amendment. Unfortunately for them, all reserves must run out, and as addicting as it is, alcohol is not an easy drug to give up, so by the time people had their alcohol taken away from them, they were willing to resort to illegal measures to get it back (Hanson). Illegal nightclubs known as “speakeasies” became second homes to many alcohol drinkers. With such a large percentage of the population depending on illegal alcohol manufacture, known as bootlegging, gangsters thrived in these times. No one could have expected the effect that the 18th amendment would have on organized crime, but as the sale and manufacture of alcohol became more underground, the more control the mafia had over the business (“Men's Fashion & The Public Enemy”). The alcohol sold by these groups was often of lesser quality, and some was even dangerous to consume (“18th And 21st Amendments”). This viability did not stop bootleggers from making money from poorly made alcohol. In fact, one of the most infamous gangsters at the time, Al “Scarface” Capone, used bootlegging to gain leverage in the