The Causes Of The Prohibition Movement

Throughout history, there have been many ups and downs within American society. One period in time in which American economy was undoubtedly booming was the 1920s. The 1920s were a such an important time period that there was even a name to define it - the Golden Age. Despite the country’s seemingly overwhelming success, in 1920, alcohol was banned. The outlawing of alcohol in America eventually became known as the prohibition. The Prohibition movement began almost immediately following the initial banning. Quickly, Americans from all around the country gathered to saloons to buy the remaining alcohol. Once all the alcohol was gone, people tried to get their hands on alcohol no matter what the cost. This resulted in the eruption of speakeasies, secret areas where people of all classes would go to drink alcohol illegally. There were various causes as to the origins of the Prohibition movement and why many viewed alcohol with a great deal of hostility. To begin, there were many with religious beliefs that were against the consumption of alcohol. At the time, there was a section of Protestant religiosity, who were strongly in favor of Prohibition within America. Many of these religious adversaries to alcohol were extremists. An example of this is a quote from Elle Boole, who was a part of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. She claimed, “There would not be any social evil if there was no saloon evil.” Secondly, there was the domestic abuse that it caused in many