1. Prohibition – 18 th Amendment Objective: Examine the reasons for the passage of the 18th amendment
2. Prohibition 18 th Amendment: the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol was prohibited in the U.S. Prohibitionists overlooked the strong U.S. traditions for alcohol and exposed the fact that laws must be based on moral consensus. Problems with enforcement : 1. After sacrifices made during WWI, many Americans were unwilling to make more sacrifices such as giving up alcohol. 2. There were widespread reports that Congressmen were still consuming alcohol. 3. Soldiers returning from war disapproved.
3. Prohibition 4. Lower class citizens became angry that they lost their ability to drink beer while the upper classes could afford to buy illicit alcohol. 5. The challenge to break the law became popular itself. 6. Law enforcement was understaffed, susceptible to bribery, and often used violent tactics.
4. Prohibition Other Impacts: Hard Liquor gained in popularity because it was easier to smuggle. Diplomatic relations were strained with Canada as U.S. border agents were often overzealous. Profits from illegal alcohol led to rise of criminal gangs who competed for alcohol market: used violence and bribery of police. Gang wars of Chicago in 1920s saw over 500 murders with very few arrests or convictions. By 1930, Organized Crime was making $12 to $18 billion/year, several times more a year than the federal government!
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7. PROHIBITION Detroit police inspecting equipment found in a hidden underground brewery during the prohibition era. Agent with the U.S. Treasury Department's Prohibition Bureau during a time when bootlegging was rampant throughout the nation. Chicago gangster during Prohibition who controlled the “bootlegging” industry. Al Capone Elliot Ness, part of the Untouchables
10. “ Prohibition is an awful flop. We like it. It can't stop what it's meant to stop. We like it. It's left a trail of graft and slime, It's filled our land with vice and crime, It can't prohibit worth a dime, Nevertheless we're for it.” Franklin Pierce Adams, New York World “It is impossible to stop liquor trickling through a dotted line” A Prohibition agent PROHIBITION The "Noble" Experiement
16. Prohibition - Problems Alcohol became more dangerous to consume; crime increased and became "organized"; the court and prison systems were stretched to the breaking point; and corruption of public officials was rampant. No measurable gains were made in productivity or reduced absenteeism. Prohibition removed a significant source of tax revenue and greatly increased government spending. It led many drinkers to switch to opium, marijuana, patent medicines, cocaine, and other dangerous substances that they would have been unlikely to encounter in the absence of Prohibition. St. Valentines Day Massacre Eliot Ness
