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Unintended Consequences Of Prohibition In The 1920's

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Nowadays, most people, including doctors, say that having a glass of red wine daily is a healthy habit. This modern view of alcohol is quite different from the views of the majority of people in the early 1900s. What is now known as “the noble experiment” shows the varying extremes of peoples’ opinion of alcohol during this time. Although people had good reasons to promote prohibition, there ultimately were unintended consequences that weren’t foreseen.
In the 1800s strong religious beliefs remained. Activists that promoted such things as prohibition, abolition, and women’s rights were hard at work and numerous in numbers. They were getting tired of seeing the devastating effects of alcohol abuse that destroyed families and society. As a result, temperance movements began, putting stronger restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol. After numerous petitions signed by thousands of Americans and rigorous rallying, the Eighteenth Amendment - which banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol - was accepted into the United States Constitution in January of 1920. Although unbeknownst to them at that time, it would have more negative consequences than positive ones. …show more content…

People assumed that without alcohol around anymore, America would be better off in multiple ways. Ideally there was not supposed to be anymore consumption of alcohol, so families were thought to become closer and get along again. With saying that, spousal abuse should decrease significantly. Driving and working accidents should also decrease considerably. Without being able to purchase alcohol, people should also have more money now to spend on other leisurely activities with their family. And last but not least, people thought that the crime rate should drop profoundly without alcohol aiding to their misjudgments. Unfortunately, that is not what actually

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The country was trying to control America’s alcohol problems by law. The ban on alcohol worsened America’s alcohol problem, in fact, it did quite the opposite of its intention. All caused by prohibition, America had an increased crime rate, death rate, and to top it off, America was losing slathers of money.

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The only way to legally obtain alcohol was through doctors, who were given permits to prescribe alcohol, and members of the clergy (History and Impact of Prohibition on America). Once criminal activity was normal, the door opened to other illegal activities, such as gambling and prostitution. Opium usage was also increased with alcohol being illegal due to the prohibition (In What Ways did Prohibition change US society in the 1920’s - Assignment Example). The prohibition negatively effected and caused much crime within the American

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