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Prohibition was the eighteenth amendment. It prohibited the production and consumption
of alcoholic beverages. People would have never thought of “excoriating”
alcohol until the 19th century (Tyrrell 16). During this time widespread crime
and dismay arose. Some beneficial things did come out of this period of chaos
such as women were able to prove themselves as people their temperance
movements. During this time many things happened that led to Prohibition’s
strongest point and to its fall. Prohibition proved to be a failure from the
start,. Prohibition was scarcely adhered to and also widely defied but out of
this women had a chance to voice their opinions and prove themselves.
Article V deals with amendments. Either house or law makers can propose
amendments. In order for an amendment to be passed the House of Representatives
and the Senate must ratify by three quarters vote. On January 29, 1919, the
Secretary of State announced that on January 16th thirty-six states had
ratified the amendment and therefore it had become a part of the Constitution.
Temperance movements were vital keys to the ratification of the eighteenth
amendment. Temperance at first meant abstaining from distilled liquors, but
later would be the complete avoidance of alcohol. Both men and women would
participate in temperance across the United States. Women finally had a voice
in these issues. Women temperance movements would include gathering around
saloons, pharmacies, and other places that distributed alcohol that could be
consumed. In these gatherings women would sing prayers, recite psalms, and
persuade people to avoid drinking alcohol.
Among the men of these temperance groups was a Connecticut preacher named Lymm
Beecher. He was well known for his work with temperance movements. He was also
known for his publishing, Six Sermons on the Nature, Occasions, Signs, Evils,
and Remedy of intemperance. He was a pre-prohibition modern day Reverend
Jonathon Edwards by “appealing to the deepest emotions and beliefs of his
readers” (Lucas 24). Ironically he moved to Boston and worked with Reverend
Justin Edwards to unite temperance groups.
Among the women of the temperance era, Francis Elizabeth Willard was probably
one of the most important temperance leaders. She was born September 23, 1839
in New York. She first got her aversion towards alcohol by her father because
he was a “total abstainer” (Lucas 32). Her interests in temperance grew when
she heard stories of the Women’s Crusades in Ohio. She joined a team of
crusaders in Pittsburg and later became the president of the Chicago branch of
the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). In 1979 she became president of
the WCTU in the United States.
Prohibition was started to prevent crime and alcoholism, but it actually
promoted those things. During prohibition the mafia arose. With the mafia came
Al Capone, also known as scar face. The mafia was known for their ability to
corrupt government officials into helping them produce and smuggle alcohol.
Even as the I.R.S increased their “snoopiness” towards Capone’s finances was
still able to continue his underground business (Coffey 281). The I.R.S. was
able to make many startling discoveries as well; they found many officials with
six to seven figure accounts off of a $65 month salary. Under the heavy I.R.S.
investigations gang related murders grew.
The twenty first amendment repeals the eighteenth amendment. The eighteenth
amendment is the only amendment that has ever been repealed. Franklin Delano
Roosevelt repealed the eighteenth Amendment with the twenty first Amendment in
1933. This marked the end to a lengthy thirteen year period of the great
experiment, which was prohibition. When the Great Depression began people
complained the prohibition took away jobs and money for the government. At this
period in time, people had little money or hope and alcohol was a way out.
In conclusion in an effort to limit crime, alcoholism, prostitution, and
poverty the United States government failed, but women had a chance to show
their competency and their ability to voice their opinions. Prohibition did
indeed lead to the birth and growth of organized crime. The great experiment
that was prohibition did not accomplish its goals of solving the social
problems of America or eliminating alcohol consumption. But, it will always be
remembered for causing Americans to reflect on the effects of alcohol on
society.
Works Cited
Coffey, Thomas M. Prohibition in America 1920-1933. New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 1975.
Lucas, Eileen. The Eighteenth and Twenty-First Amendments. Berkeley Heights:
Enlsow Publishers, Inc, 1998.
Tyrrell, Ian R. Sobering Up. London: Greenwood Press, 1979.