The Role Of Industrialization In The Gilded Age

A new era in US history changed transportation, resource production, societal norms, and building complexity. In 1865, the Gilded Age began alongside industrialization. With the introduction of industrial manufacturing, alcoholism would not be tolerated due to safety concerns. Alcoholism became a problem as the US population grew, primarily from European immigration. Coincidentally violence, poverty, and crime rates increased promptly. The government put two-and-two together and commenced drafting the 18th Amendment. The government’s mindset was that if liquor manufacturers were to produce alcoholics who threatened lives, then interference was appropriate, leading to the Prohibition Act and Volstead Act announcement. The 18th Amendment “prohibited

The Prohibition intended to limit a liberty of its people, which prompted massive growth in organized crime. That unintended consequence did not originate in one place alone: most were drawn to alcohol due to lack of clean water in the area. People who relied on alcohol to quench their thirsty suddenly found themselves between a rock and a hard place. Chicago was one of the earliest cities to become saturated with corruption. Chicago had a history of lawlessness, as criminals partook in gambling, prostitution, etc. well before 1920. Prohibition expanded opportunities to create havoc. Police officers and public officials began taking bribes to ignore illegal activities, partly in fear of the mobs running the city. Internal conflict divided the nation, pitting temperance groups against those who resented Prohibition. The purpose of Prohibition was to unify the people under a common goal of safety and industrialism, but unclear conditions confused too many. Beer consumption decreased, but spirits and wine consumption increased from a loophole in the Volstead Act, not restricting fruit drinks which fermented. Unlawful traditions grew, with the introduction of rumrunners who crossed borders or went overseas to retrieve/deliver alcohol on special boats. The US-Canada border spans 3000-miles, much of which was vulnerable to smuggling. By this point,

History tells of how “bootleggers and rumrunners… [were] less responsible for the Prohibition mess than the corrupt, hypocritical system that battened onto them.” Senator Morris Sheppard, responsible for introducing the 18th Amendment, did not take the ordeal seriously, paying little attention to offenders. Many saw Prohibition as the government’s attempt to limit freedom, reacting aggressively against it. The 18th Amendment’s true intention was to create a safer and progressive America, but did not communicate that to the people. The Volstead Act botched because it made Prohibition regulations more confusing, leading to more misinterpretations on the treatment of people. The 18th Amendment is the only constitutional amendment to be recalled, which accentuates the disaster it caused. The immigration of Europeans to the States not only increased the population, but integrated European customs/history into the US, making for prejudice groups who became mobsters developing the criminal syndicate, and forced the US to act when alcoholism became an obstacle in their vision of a new era.

Behr, Edward. Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America. New York: Arcade Pub, 1996.
Blocker, Jack S., Jr. “Did Prohibition Really Work? Alcohol Prohibition as a Public Health Innovation.” American Journal of Public Health. February 2006. Accessed January 25, 2017.