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Prohibition In The Great Gatsby Essay

1843 Words8 Pages

In America, during the nineteenth century, alcohol was a large part of the culture. However many people began to realize that constant drinking was not healthy, and that drunkenness had a huge a big negative effect on everyone. Many people therefore began to support the idea of temperance. Temperance was the idea that alcohol should only be consumed in moderation. What started out as just as a moral idea, quickly became a huge deal in politics. Soon laws were being conceived that would keep people from drinking. But the liquor business was a huge part of the economy, and many people still opposed prohibition. By 1919, 33 states had already enacted their own form of prohibition. And that same year, the Eighteenth Amendment was passed, banning …show more content…

It gives Gatsby a way to obtain his wealth. He sold liquor, and it made him rich. This was only possible through alcohol being illegal. Also Gatsby’s parties were so popular pretty much one reason: alcohol. People flocked to his parties because they were not only lavish, but flowing with free liquor. Nick also mentions that in one section that he is drunk for the first time in years, likely because he didn’t have easy access to liquor. Those are just some of the surface things. One could make a case that the whole attitude of the book was influenced by the Prohibition. The citizens seem free to do whatever they want, in that they throw ridiculous parties and throw many fits and tantrums that can turn violent. They often act like children. Is this a result of the Law’s decreasing fear upon American citizens? Perhaps the fact that alcohol was more often reserved for special occasions made it seem like a luxury, and that drinking, in a way, made you feel wealthy. So no longer was drinking a casual thing to do, it was something that you did when you were having the time of your life. And that’s how the world revolved more around alcohol than it ever did before. It was responsible for almost all of Gatsby’s wealth and his parties. People always wanted to go party, and drink their sorrows

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One big change on the social sphere came from the speakeasies, suburban country clubs and inner-city social clubs (211). Okrent says, “Prohibition changed not only where American’s drank, but who drank as well” (211). This is what Okrent calls the “sexual integration of the drinking culture,” (211) in which women and men drank in the same place at the same time. Women no longer had barriers when it came to drink, as they had in the past. Prohibitionists also fought for universal suffrage, public education and even federal control of interstate commerce, important points to consider that changed the world

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In 1919, Congress passed the 18th Amendment which banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in America (Doc B). Prohibitionists overlooked the tenacious American tradition of strong drink and of weak control by the central government. Thus, there was tension between the modernists and the traditionalists. Although the amendment was passed, alcohol was still distributed illegally. Actually, prohibition spawned many crimes, such as illegal sale of alcohol and gang wars.

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Temporary fun with lifelong consequences; alcohol. In 1919 the 18th amendment was ratified, this amendment declared it illegal to manufacture, transport and sell alcoholic beverages. America repealed Prohibition due to the crime rate increasing, failure of enforcement and no money being made off of alcohol. Due to the crime rate increasing majorly during Prohibition America had second thoughts on it. The US Census and FBI Uniform Crime Reports in Drug War Facts shows us a graph representing the homicide rate before, during and after the years of Prohibition.

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Prohibition was an amendment that caused the ban of alcohol and anything related to it. America was suffering because of alcohol, so prohibition was enforced. Little did the country know, prohibition would cause America to suffer far more. America was facing various problems due to alcohol such as death, crime, and loss of money. America expected to solve these problems by banning alcohol; never did the country expect the problems to worsen.

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Why did America change its mind on prohibition? Well it all started on January 16th 1919 in Nebraska when you weren’t allowed to sale alcohol. The state and government are the ones would have the power to pass the laws that requires Americans to obey the Amendment. Place yourself in 1920 if you had the choice to pass the law of prohibition would you? If it was me I wouldn’t because it would save a lot of trouble and arguments.

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A world without alcohol is hard to believe. Most of today 's society wouldn’t be able to wrap their head around it. In the United States prohibition was a nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages it remained in place from 1920 to 1933. When the 18th amendment was passed in the year 1919 America was asking for chaos. With everything that affected the United States during prohibition, it is because of the increase in crime, weak enforcement, lack of respect for the law, and economic suffrage that the 18th amendment was repealed.

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The prohibition outlawed alcohol to try and diminish the crime rate. This led to a higher consumption of alcohol and illicit speakeasies. As fast as the police closed down one venue, more would spring up in its place (Prohibition in the United States). Government intrusion with the Volstead Act of 1919 outlawed beverages over 0.5 alcohol volume

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Lastly, Protestants thought the culture of drinking conflicted their religious morals. The eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited alcohol, was ratified on January 16th, 1920. An illegal alcohol market rose as a result. “Bathtub gin” was made with stills people bought from hardware stores, and “rumrunners” illegally transported alcohol. In 1924, rumrunners smuggled an estimated $40 million worth of liquor.

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This is greedy because when alcohol was seen as what caused problems such as crime, corruption and reducing the tax burden on the government, but Gatsby selfish means of getting wealth motivated him to sell alcohol illegally. Another way in which Gatsby is seen as selfish is him using Nick to get to Daisy. Gatsby acts as though Nick is a good friend of his just to enhance his chance of refurbishing the love that he once had for Daisy. Last but not least Gatsby’s parties symbolize how artificial wealth is, the people who attend Gatsby parties think that he is leaving this life where he is above of everyone else that around him and he cannot be touched. One also sees that the people attending these parties think Gatsby is living the American Dream.

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Risk taking, ground breaking changes, and wild parties are all important aspects of the 1920’s. The massive parties that included dancing, alcohol, and a house full of strangers were so essential to this magical era that F. Scott fitzgerald made them a key element in his book, “The Great Gatsby.” These extravagant parties that Jay Gatsby was notorious for hosting, attracted strangers from all corners of New York to take part in these luxurious events. These parties were so popular and well known in the eastern New York area that they basically become Gatsby’s trademark. Upon hearing the name “Gatsby” guests did not visualize the face of a young man, but rather envisioned the wild parties he threw.

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However, the law made the sale, manufacture, and use of all alcohol illegal. Prohibition failed because it was not easily enforced, it destroyed businesses and jobs, and lead to the rise of organized crime. It was a nice day on January 16th, 1919 when the 18th Amendment was ratified in congress and many celebrated the outlawing of alcohol. It didn’t take long however for people to find ways to break the law without getting caught which flourished the illegal alcohol trade. Speak-easies were popular during the 1920s and would be

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Prohibition was a major source of income to many people including Gatsby in this story. So many people that had these huge houses or massive parties were men of wealth and power which meant they had to do some pretty illegal stuff to make such a fortune. Also, these illegal sources of alcohol kicked off these amazing parties which brought thousands of people to them. People started drinking more and getting into to more deep dark places and crooked businesses. People like Gatsby had Wolfisheim with him every step of the way to earn money and supply the demand of people's desires to party.

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During the 1920’s alcohol was beginning to be viewed as a problem. Many groups complained about the various effects it had on culture. Women complained that their husbands would get drunk and beat their wife or children. In the business world managers and company owners complained that alcohol was the cause of men coming in late and coming in drunk or hungover which directly affected

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Prohibition is found throughout the novel, “The Great Gatsby”, especially in the life of the character Jay Gatsby. Prohibition was instituted in order to reduce crime and create a more sober society. The effects of the law were quite different. Black markets were created, illegal and legal homebrewing started, and “Bootleggers” began selling and distributing

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Prohibition was a period of 13 years in U.S. history in which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor was made illegal from 1920 to 1933. It was known as the “Noble Experiment” and led to the first and only time an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed. There were many reasons for why prohibition was introduced, one was that a ban on alcohol would practically boost supplies of important grains such as barley. Another was, when America entered the war in 1917, the national mood turned against drinking alcohol.

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