American Alcohol Prohibition Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

American Alcohol Prohibition - Thesis ExampleCrime, peculiarly make crime, was on the rise and many believed alcoholic beverage was at the root of many of these problems including the changing American family values. When Herbert Hoover introduced prohibition in 1919 he called it the overlord experiment, presenting it as a law of nature that hoped to curb sin and poverty across America. In fact, the 18th Amendment was part of a wider reaction from white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPS) against favorable changes within the USA brought on by mass immigration and the growth in demand for African-American rights. Therefore despite claims of prohibition being a progressive reform, in fact, it symbolized a rejection of modernity. So, on January 17, 1920, the United States Government enacted the eighteenth amendment to the Constitution which prohibited Americans from manufacturing, selling, or transporting alcoholic beverages.1 This decision, to a fault known as the Noble Experiment, w ould remain in effect just short of thirteen years regardless of intense opposition. The position of those in favor of this law was that it was the job and responsibility of the government to protect all of its citizens. In spite of the controversial nature of this decision, this was not a new concept as Asbridge and Weerasinghe note that contrive national policy efforts around prohibition in the United States began in 1913 (facilitated by the WebbKenyon bring) followed, a few years later, with the enactment of the War Prohibition Act in 1918, banning the manufacture and sale of all beverages with more than 2.75% alcohol.2 Various states had their own adoptions of state restrictions on alcohol particularly in areas where alcohol-related incidents were high. For Chicago, alcohols link to organized crime was particularly troubling. Not until the election of Mayor William Dever in 1923, a man who believed firmly in the letter of the law and who enforced prohibition stalwartly, did a formal attack on bootlegging and organized crime emerge however, this led to intense territorial wars between organized crime gangs, including the famous Chicago Beer Wars that resulted in dozens of homicides.3 The hope was that limiting alcohol could limit the crime as well as maturement immorality and concern of compromising ethical values of the American people. However, this act received huge opposition as it decreased income for many but also created losses in gross sales tax revenue. The demand for alcohol only led to the illegal sales of alcohol and bootleggers soon emerged creating additional problems while the sales of alcohol continued in spite of the legality. This example alone should have provided evidence that limiting alcohol on a national scale would not be any more successful. Although consumption of alcohol fell at the beginning of Prohibition, it subsequently change magnitude. Alcohol became more dangerous to consume crime increased and became organized the co urt and prison systems were stretched to the breaking point, and corruption of public officials was rampant. No measurable gains were made in productivity or reduced absenteeism.