Prohibition Was A Failure Essay

Was The American Prohibition Movement effective at accomplishing its intended purpose of reducing crime and violence, or promoting the health and well-being of the general public? In the 1920s the United States attempted a social experiment that was aimed to largely reduce alcohol consumption in America with the intended purpose of reducing crime, violence and the tax burden associated with these things. The first article that will be used to answer this question “Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure” provides information from someone who attempted to answer a similar question in 1991. The author's name is Mark Thornton, Mark was an American economist of the Austrian School who has written on a variety of similar topics such as the prohibition

It began in the early 1800s because people worried about public health, morality, and social reform. Lyman Beecher, a Presbyterian minister, was one of the first people to lead the movement. He said that drinking alcohol was bad and could harm families. Then in 1826, he created the American Temperance Society to support not drinking. The Temperance Movement grew bigger in the 1840s and 1850s. This was when a religious revivalism called the Second Great Awakening was happening in the US. People in the Temperance Movement who were leaders in this revivalism believed that not drinking alcohol was a good way to be a good Christian and make society better. Other people in the movement wanted to get rid of alcohol because they thought it helped the rich and powerful keep the working class down and make more money. These people said that if there was no alcohol, things would be fairer. In the 1920s, a federal law called Prohibition was passed in the US. It said that nobody could make, move, or sell alcohol because of the Temperance Movement. The Temperance Movement became stronger in the late 1800s because people were worried about drinking too much. The people who wanted Prohibition said that alcohol caused poverty, crime, and family problems, and was bad for America. During World War I, the government didn't want people to drink alcohol so they could use more resources for the war. The Anti-Saloon League, a big group in the Temperance Movement, wanted the government to ban alcohol. In 1919, the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution was added. It said that nobody could make, move, or sell alcohol. The Volstead Act was used to make sure the 18th Amendment was followed. It said that a drink was only an alcoholic beverage if it had more than 0.5% alcohol. People who made moved, or sold alcoholic drinks could be punished. Some people could still drink alcohol if it was for medical or religious