Causes And Effects Of Prohibition

As if becoming the decade of the worst economic bust in history, usually referred to as the Great Depression, was not enough, the early 19th century also came to be known as the age of Prohibition. For many years prior to the 1920s, a growing number of people had feared the damage alcohol could do to America. After years of work by organizations such as the Anti-Saloon League, the Eighteenth Amendment was passed and prohibition started on January 16, 1919 and continued until December 5, 1933. Although it was formed to stop drinking completely, it ended up being a resounding failure. It created a large number of bootleggers who were able to supply the public with illegal alcohol.

Then you have the rest of the population for prohibition because of economic, religious, and health reasons. In January of 1904, the majority of the country was drinking alcohol. Fast-forward thirteen years later on March of 1917, it seemed like some states wanted prohibition before it even started (Document M). Most businesses were suffering because alcohol slowed down the workers when drinking it during the day. Workers had to worry when going to work at night because of the dangers and accidents that took place near saloons.

When President Herbert Hoover, was in office a precipitous drop in the value of the U.S. stock market came crashing downward and signaled the start of the Great Depression. Due to the Jim Crow laws it was hard for even immigrants to survive the Great Depression. Upon this article it was “Around one third of Los Angeles’ Mexican population left the country, as did a third of Texas’ Mexican- born population” (Blakemore). During the years, Latino American’s had to fight to have the same equal right as American citizens. Even through “Mexican’s is willing to work for low wages, they help build the railroads in the 1930’s, American’s were and still is afraid, of foreigners stealing jobs” (Blakemore).

Organizations such as the Anti-Saloon League had argued that violent crime would go down with prohibition, but the effect was clearly the opposite. The prison system saw the same effect from prohibition that violent crime had seen. "The federal inmate population increased 561 percent from the pre-Prohibition period" (tdl.org). The prison systems increase in inmates required an even greater amount of funds from the government, which hurt Americans even more. It created a need for more tax revenue, which threatened the economy and hurt them even more when the economy began to decline in the 1920

The city of Las Vegas has changed rapidly from becoming a beautiful city to a violent place to live in. The city has seemed a rise in homicides as well in the last few years. The strong presences of these gangs are taking innocent lives and making the community a harder place to raise a family in. Many of the gangs in Vegas account for most the drug trade, as well as the staggering homicide rate. The gang problem is not only a problem in Las Vegas, but it is all over the world.

October 29, 1929 was perhaps one of the most dreadful days in American history for its economy. Before “Black Tuesday”, as it was known, stock prices had been dropping. As a result, America experienced a devastating reality known as the Stock Market Crash. Many economists hold the belief that it was caused due to people “buying on margin”. The effects of this were detrimental and quickly lead us into a depression, and not only for America, but around the world as well.

to recover from this depression. The unprecedented occurrences which happened in the late 1920’s and 1930’s caused much to change in America: socially, financially, and politically. Many laws and regulations were passed to prevent something similar from happening in the future, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Organization, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the National Recovery Administration (Timeline). People who lived during the Great Depression often suffered because of it for the rest of their lives. People were forced to be stingy to survive, and after the depression was over they squandered their money on luxuries and necessities alike.

In the 20s, the American government tried to enforce a ban on alcohol, but in the process, caused “the greatest crime wave in the country 's history, causing thousands of deaths from bad alcohol, and creating a general (and persisting) contempt among the citizenry for the laws of the United States.” Gore also uses logos when he writes that in 1969 the government slightly “curtailed” the supply of marijuana, and this led to kids getting hooked on more dangerous drugs like heroin, and overall increasing the number of deaths. He suggests that the government, and the crime organizations, benefits from making drugs illegal. That way, both sides are able to flip a profit. This also appeals to the audience’s opinion— many Americans distrust the government and have negative opinions about it. Overall, Gore Vidal’s argument of legalizing drugs is very compelling.

“Well, I wish some of you would tell me the brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals.” Arguably one of the finest quotes Abraham Lincoln delivered, whiskey is a staple within the young United States. Whiskey ascended rapidly in the expanding society of America consequently becoming a method of payment in the western frontier. The citizens utilized the alcohol for practically everything within daily life, including medicine.Therefore, whiskey became a touchy subject within the states, sparking a fire within their hearts when threatened. War-stricken America confronted a horde of debt amounting to roughly 54 million dollars; therefore requiring a means of satisfying the debt.

War was absolutely devastating; emotionally and economically throughout the world. Especially after World War I, is was shocking to people because it was the first time anyone had witnessed something so distorting. In America, it changed everyone 's life styles. People became more materialistic and rebellious. The UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History talks about that time period by saying “The novel reflects the outward glitter and the inward corruption of the Roaring Twenties , also known as the Jazz Age, a decade of prosperity and excess that began soon after the end of World War I (1914–18) in 1918 and ended with the 1929 stock-market crash”(656).