A general overview of Prohibition, including history, statistics and effects
This paper chronicles the history of Prohibition beginning with the Temperance movement in the early 19th Century. It includes statistics on alcohol consumption during Prohibition, and discusses some of the lasting effects – organized crime, alcoholism and drug abuse.
“America, after the First World War, is often labeled the “Roaring Twenties”. It is a time that is famous for the historic flight of Charles Lindbergh, flappers, and the golden era of baseball; starring Babe Ruth. It is an era in which America developed into a stable, cultured society, abounding in industrial and economic growth. This decade also has a much darker side, though, that is often overlooked. This darker side is characterized by an agricultural depression, The Great Depression, and the ill-effects of Prohibition. In an attempt to exonerate American Society, the federal government banned the use of alcohol in the United States with the passage of the 18th Amendment. This action, known as Prohibition, not only affected the individual, but it shaped the culture of this nation in the 1920s and for decades to come. This “experiment”, as it was described by Herbert Hoover, became the first legal restriction of a controlled substance in this country; though it certainly was not the last. The arguments for and against, the means, and the results are all echoed in today’s battle against narcotics. ‘