PROHIBITION
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Prohibition (18th Amendment) was a law that banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol, yet it was not illegal to consume alcohol during this time. The goal of prohibition was to lower crime and corruption, reduce social problems, lower taxes needed to support prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America.
Prohibition began on January 16, 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect and the police were given the task of enforcing this new law. Although the sale of alcohol was illegal, alcoholic drinks were widely available at speakeasies and other underground drinking environments. The more the government pushed prohibition, the more people rebelled, drank more, and opened more speakeasies. Large quantities of alcohol were smuggled into the US from other countries including Canada via the Great Lakes. While the government enforced prohibition laws on land, those who had boats argued that ships outside the 3 mile limit were exempt from the laws. People who had boats then exploited the loophole, including the State owned shipping line.
Although the purchase and sale of alcohol was not permitted, home brewing of alcohol was. Limited amounts of wine and hard cider were permitted to be made at homes and some commercial wine was produced and sold for religious ceremonies. "Malt and hop" (beer) stores popped up across the country and some former breweries turned to selling malt extract syrup, only for baking and "beverage" purposes.
One of the side effects of prohibition was alcohol poisoning. In most cases, home-brewed alcohol had been spiked with chemicals and poisons to give it "kick". As a result the deaths from alcoholic poisoning increased dramatically. Whiskey, however, could be obtained by prescription from medical doctors. The labels clearly warned that it was strictly for medicinal purposes and any other uses were illegal, but even so doctors freely wrote prescriptions and drug-stores filled them without question. This caused the number of "patients" to increase dramatically. Because there was no attempt to stop the sale of alcohol this way. So over a million gallons of liquor was consumed this way per year.
Even prominent citizens, like governmental figures, have admitted to using alcohol during prohibition. President Harding kept the White House well stocked with bootleg liquor, though, as a Senator, he had voted for Prohibition. People argued over the effectiveness of prohibition and some said that, although it worked in some parts of the country, it just encourages lawlessness.
With every passing year, more and more people demanded the repeal of prohibition. In 1932, the Democratic Party's platform included a promise to repeal Prohibition, and Franklin Roosevelt ran for President with a promise to repeal of federal Prohibition laws. By the, 75% of American voters (an estimated 46 states) favored the repeal of prohibition.
Prohibition ended in 1933 when the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment. Some states, however, continued Prohibition within their own territory. Almost two-thirds of the states adopted some form of local option which enabled residents to vote for or against local Prohibition; therefore, for a time, 38% of Americans still lived in areas with Prohibition. By 1966, however, all states had fully repealed their state-level Prohibition laws (1920-30.com).
Prohibition began on January 16, 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect and the police were given the task of enforcing this new law. Although the sale of alcohol was illegal, alcoholic drinks were widely available at speakeasies and other underground drinking environments. The more the government pushed prohibition, the more people rebelled, drank more, and opened more speakeasies. Large quantities of alcohol were smuggled into the US from other countries including Canada via the Great Lakes. While the government enforced prohibition laws on land, those who had boats argued that ships outside the 3 mile limit were exempt from the laws. People who had boats then exploited the loophole, including the State owned shipping line.
Although the purchase and sale of alcohol was not permitted, home brewing of alcohol was. Limited amounts of wine and hard cider were permitted to be made at homes and some commercial wine was produced and sold for religious ceremonies. "Malt and hop" (beer) stores popped up across the country and some former breweries turned to selling malt extract syrup, only for baking and "beverage" purposes.
One of the side effects of prohibition was alcohol poisoning. In most cases, home-brewed alcohol had been spiked with chemicals and poisons to give it "kick". As a result the deaths from alcoholic poisoning increased dramatically. Whiskey, however, could be obtained by prescription from medical doctors. The labels clearly warned that it was strictly for medicinal purposes and any other uses were illegal, but even so doctors freely wrote prescriptions and drug-stores filled them without question. This caused the number of "patients" to increase dramatically. Because there was no attempt to stop the sale of alcohol this way. So over a million gallons of liquor was consumed this way per year.
Even prominent citizens, like governmental figures, have admitted to using alcohol during prohibition. President Harding kept the White House well stocked with bootleg liquor, though, as a Senator, he had voted for Prohibition. People argued over the effectiveness of prohibition and some said that, although it worked in some parts of the country, it just encourages lawlessness.
With every passing year, more and more people demanded the repeal of prohibition. In 1932, the Democratic Party's platform included a promise to repeal Prohibition, and Franklin Roosevelt ran for President with a promise to repeal of federal Prohibition laws. By the, 75% of American voters (an estimated 46 states) favored the repeal of prohibition.
Prohibition ended in 1933 when the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment. Some states, however, continued Prohibition within their own territory. Almost two-thirds of the states adopted some form of local option which enabled residents to vote for or against local Prohibition; therefore, for a time, 38% of Americans still lived in areas with Prohibition. By 1966, however, all states had fully repealed their state-level Prohibition laws (1920-30.com).