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Repeal The 18th Amendment Essay

644 Words3 Pages

In 1933, the United States Congress made history, doing something that had never been done before. By popular vote, Congressmen decided to repeal the 18th Amendment which banned the consumption, purchase, and transportation of alcohol, and alcoholic beverages (Background Essay). This is the only time in United States history where Congress removed an amendment from The Constitution. When Congress passed the 18th Amendment in December of 1917, it seemed like the right thing to do, as alcohol seemed to be the cause of domestic abusers, hungover, drunk, or absent employees, but after 14 alcohol free years, three out of every four Americans were in favor of repeal (Background Essay). One question historians ask themselves is “Why did Congress make alcohol legal again?” America changed its mind about alcohol, because during Prohibition crime was at an all-time high, law enforcement was at an all-time low, and America was suffering, economically. …show more content…

As shown by the political cartoon made by Winsor McCoy, acts of organized crime made by gangsters, racketeers, bootleggers, and dope sellers (with the help of the Prohibition) led to the Great Depression. With all of these factors eventually leading to the largest economic downfall in United States history, it’s easy to see why American citizens wanted to remove the ban on alcohol. Also, the FBI Uniform Crime Reports show the number of homicides increased during Prohibition and decreased after Prohibition. In the crime report, the homicide rate increased from 7 homicides per 100,000 people to 10 homicides per 100,000 people during the Prohibition, and decreasing to 6 homicides per 100,000 people. This evidence points to the fact that crime and criminal activity played a huge part in the removal of the 18th

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