Although the Eighteenth Amendment was not passed by the United States Congress until 1919, the idea of outlawing alcoholic beverages originated around the 1830s. Much of the educated population believed that alcohol consumption was linked to poverty, violence, and low levels of productivity, which subsequently caused the Temperance Movement to grow in popularity (Hoyt). Temperance is the belief that individuals should enjoy healthy activities in moderation while completely abstaining from dangerous habits such as alcohol consumption. In only a few years the Temperance Movement gained hundreds of thousands of supporters and eventually lead to the creation of the Prohibition Party that ran for office on the platform that a ban on alcohol would
…show more content…
The Mafia was perhaps the most notorious organized-crime network that rose to power by providing people with alcohol they would gladly overpay for. The Mafia refers to the group of Italian-American immigrants who established bases in New York City and Chicago and prospered from the illegal smuggling and selling of alcoholic beverages to the public (Sacco). At the start of the 1900s many Italians immigrated to America in the quest for economic stability and some business-savvy individuals viewed the 18th Amendment as a prime opportunity to evolve their local street gangs into “sophisticated criminal enterprises” (History.com Staff). Gangsters like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, who will be evaluated further in this piece, quickly rose to prominence in American culture yet repeatedly dodged the prosecution of the federal government. These criminals possessed immense abilities to never leave traces at the scenes of their crimes and never hesitated to bribe any and all levels of the law from local police to the chiefs of several federal departments. Throughout this extended essay I plan to analyze the various effects of Prohibition on American society and draw connections between the passage of this law and the subsequent spike in …show more content…
Soon towns became friendly due to the shutting down of liquor stores and many logically assumed that the real estate market would prosper and companies providing soft drinks or entertainments services would surely see a spike in interest. In reality, however, almost all prominent industries witnessed a decline in sales because thousands of people lost their jobs as alcohol brewers or saloon owners (Hoyt). Even more notably, perhaps, was the unforeseen result that the 18th Amendment had on government revenue, which was previously able to fund many government projects through the tax on liquor. In total, prohibition lost the federal government about $11 billion in sales taxes which consequently had to be made up by raising the public’s income taxes (Lerner). The depressing economic effects of Prohibition essentially counteracted its intention by pushing more people to drink alcohol as a means of escaping their pain and accessing a joyful state of mind. Speakeasies exploded across the nation and virtually doubled the number of legal bars prior to Prohibition while approximately 100,000 people turned to their bathtubs as a means of creating cheap gin (Andersen). A speakeasy served as a nightclub where individuals who sought alcohol were allowed into a secret room where drinks were
The Mafia was perhaps the most notorious organized-crime network that rose to power by providing people with alcohol they would gladly overpay for. The Mafia refers to the group of Italian-American immigrants who established bases in New York City and Chicago and prospered from the illegal smuggling and selling of alcoholic beverages to the public (Sacco). At the start of the 1900s many Italians immigrated to America in the quest for economic stability and some business-savvy individuals viewed the 18th Amendment as a prime opportunity to evolve their local street gangs into “sophisticated criminal enterprises” (History.com Staff). Gangsters like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, who will be evaluated further in this piece, quickly rose to prominence in American culture yet repeatedly dodged the prosecution of the federal government. These criminals possessed immense abilities to never leave traces at the scenes of their crimes and never hesitated to bribe any and all levels of the law from local police to the chiefs of several federal departments. Throughout this extended essay I plan to analyze the various effects of Prohibition on American society and draw connections between the passage of this law and the subsequent spike in …show more content…
Soon towns became friendly due to the shutting down of liquor stores and many logically assumed that the real estate market would prosper and companies providing soft drinks or entertainments services would surely see a spike in interest. In reality, however, almost all prominent industries witnessed a decline in sales because thousands of people lost their jobs as alcohol brewers or saloon owners (Hoyt). Even more notably, perhaps, was the unforeseen result that the 18th Amendment had on government revenue, which was previously able to fund many government projects through the tax on liquor. In total, prohibition lost the federal government about $11 billion in sales taxes which consequently had to be made up by raising the public’s income taxes (Lerner). The depressing economic effects of Prohibition essentially counteracted its intention by pushing more people to drink alcohol as a means of escaping their pain and accessing a joyful state of mind. Speakeasies exploded across the nation and virtually doubled the number of legal bars prior to Prohibition while approximately 100,000 people turned to their bathtubs as a means of creating cheap gin (Andersen). A speakeasy served as a nightclub where individuals who sought alcohol were allowed into a secret room where drinks were