Prohibition Dbq Research Paper

On January 16th of 1919, the American congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment, making all importing, exporting, transporting, selling, and manufacturing of alcohol illegal. It was not until 1920 that the Amendment was enforced. During the era of progressive reform, 1900-1919 it took much convincing to get congress to pass the Amendment. You have a majority of the population against prohibition because saloons were a social hangout for them where they hosted parties, weddings, etc. 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. Most of the population was able to give up something for the benefit of the greater good (Document S). They were easily persuaded of the benefits of banning alcohol but when reading Ella A. Boole’s speech how do we know where she got the information from or if it’s even true. Banning

“Her husband is torn from her…hang her up bare in these dens of robbery and murder” (Document A). Women were degraded in saloons; saloon-keepers would hang pictures of naked women and strip them of everything they had. There was a group of women called the Women’s Christian Temperance Union; these women chose self-restraint from all alcohol for their life time. The Union would march to saloons and ask owners to close their establishments. People wondered why the church had to change for social betterment. The churches had to give up their social activities because of all the evil out in this world (Document