18th Amendment Pros And Cons
Saint Johns High School The 18th Amendment Cantrel Nielsen Democracy/Free Enterprise Mr. Smith March 9, 2015 In December of 1917, the 18th Amendment, or “the great social experiment,” was passed by Congress (history.com, 2013). The incentive was to “reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health (object.cato.org, 2008).” However, events such as the Depression and Al Capone’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago helped change the mind of the American public; so, Congress passed the 21st Amendment to repeal the 18th (history.com, 2013). Some of the arguments against the 18th Amendment include: that it was a destructive experimentation on the public, …show more content…
Even though the law banned the “manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors,” “the liquor trade was highly profitable, and bootleggers battled each other for control of liquor supplies and markets (Kadish, 1983).” This is what led to Al Capone and all the other social problems. It was only natural to have mafia if the law didn’t ban the consumption. Certainly, there still may have been disrespect for the law had there been a ban on consumption of alcohol, but it wouldn’t have been such a lucrative business for the bootleggers. If there wasn’t a big enough market for alcohol, there naturally wouldn’t have been as many suppliers; but, since there wasn’t a ban on consumption, it was natural to have a bigger market and more suppliers. This leads to the next indictment of …show more content…
Then if people feel that drinking is wrong and that it damages society, then why are the previous Amendments accepted and prohibition not? Economic circumstances, like the depression, might be valid reasons for such an acceptance. However, no such conundrum is prevalent today. Slavery was thought to infringe on another’s rights (Danzer, 1998). All laws promote this concept: you are free until you prohibit someone else’s freedom, then you are restricted. “Three-fourths of all the crime... existing in our land are traceable to the use of intoxication liquors (Kadish, 1983).” It is proven alcohol wreaks havoc on society. Then why isn’t it banned? If people say the government is stepping into their personal life, oh well, the government has a right to, for the sake of the public as a
How Did The 18th Amendment Shape Social And Moral Behavior
1110 Words | 5 PagesThe Eighteenth Amendment which instituted prohibition in America and its territories was an interesting attempt at using the constitutional amendment process to shape social and moral behavior in America. Until the Twenty-First Amendment which repealed prohibition, the road to prohibition in America dates back to colonial days. Although the amendment did not last as it was reversed by the Twenty-First Amendment less than 15 years later, along the way, the battleground for prohibition grew from local organizations to a national political party and set new interpretations for the Constitutional amendment process and played an important role in in American history. The Eighteenth Amendment was the high-water mark for what is often referred to
How Did Prohibition Change The Culture Of The 1920's
525 Words | 3 PagesIn January 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the constitution was approved. It outlawed the transportation, sale, and manufacture of alcoholic beverages. After the law passed consumption moved in the home instead of being in saloons. Americans in the liquor business redistilled the alcohol in certain products like perfume, paint, and carpentry supplies.
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What Is The 18th Amendment Essay
481 Words | 2 PagesThe second amendment states, “a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Amendment XVIII : Alcohol Prohibition The 18th amendment, also known as the Volstead Act, states that any alcohol except those used for medical or religious purposes are banned. This was ratified on January 16, 1919 and took effect the next year. This amendment did not work well to many, as many started illegal bars where you have to have a code to get in and they were made and hidden in the back of restaurants or alleys. These were not likely to be caught due to the fact the people in charge technically did not have the rights to do anything about it and it was not their job anyway.
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Prohibition Dbq Essay
780 Words | 4 PagesA question some might ask is, “Why did America repeal the 18th Amendment?” America repealed the 18th Amendment because of the increase in crime, the failure to enforce this law, and the state of the economy. The first reason Americans had changed their minds about Prohibition was the increase in crime. When Prohibition
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1920s Dbq Analysis
471 Words | 2 PagesIn 1919, Congress passed the 18th Amendment which banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in America (Doc B). Prohibitionists overlooked the tenacious American tradition of strong drink and of weak control by the central government. Thus, there was tension between the modernists and the traditionalists. Although the amendment was passed, alcohol was still distributed illegally. Actually, prohibition spawned many crimes, such as illegal sale of alcohol and gang wars.
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Violation Of Organized Crime In The 1920's
1373 Words | 6 PagesFebruary 14th, 1929, several police officers raid a garage in the city of Chicago. 7 Mobsters surrender without a fight, as the police sweep the place for any signs of bootlegging, and lined each of the 7 men against a wall and started shooting. These 7 men were part of a rival gang that was the lone competitor of Al Capone’s mobster gang, the policemen were actually some of Capone’s men sent on a mission to kill any rival gang members. The following, Al Capone sits in his villa in Florida, satisfied as he is now the top dog in Chicago after what would be called: “Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre.” At this point in America’s history, organized crime was running rampant in every cities street, with the Mafia being at its height and bootlegging operations being
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1566 Words | 7 PagesOrganized crime this way decided to enter the illegal booze selling in order to take advantage of this situation and increase their power and influence in the society, much of the work wasn’t able to be achieved alone so the criminal organizations started inviting more and more people who as mentioned before needed money in order to support their families or themselves into this dangerous but well-paying life. Alphonse Capone was undoubtedly the figure of the prohibition time, known as Al Capone was a famous gangster of that time. His fortune indeed, like that of many other prominent criminals of those years, was achieved through the alcohol trade in the black market. Al Capone was supplied alcohol from Florida, Mexico and Canada, as well as by some clandestine Chicago distillers, then reselling these bottles to the "Speakeasy" who were places where booze was sold to the public illegally.
Pros And Cons Of The 18th Amendment
1117 Words | 5 PagesIt went into effect one year later, January 16, 1920. The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th on December 5, 1933.” This was the first amendment that was repealed in all the time, no one has been repealed. In the more than 230 years of the Constitution of the United States. In the United States, an early wave to make state and local prohibition grew out of the intense religious revitalization of the 1820s and 30s, which dealt with movements toward perfectionism in human beings, including abstinence and abolitionism.
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