Consequences Of Prohibitionism

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Throughout the nineteenth century moral reformers and prohibitionists worked tediously for the Prohibition of alcohol. At the time, many people believed that alcohol was responsible for all things wrong with society and the people in it. For example, alcohol was blamed for poverty, disease, insanity, degeneracy, and crime. American citizens thought that Prohibition would alleviate the destructive effects of alcohol and transform society and its citizens into law-abiding, pure, healthy, honest people. After Prohibition also known as “The Noble Experiment” was ratified, famous evangelist Billy Sunday is quoted as saying “The reign of tears is over. The slums will soon be only a memory. We will turn our prisons into factories and our jails into …show more content…
Prohibition actually caused more problems for the U.S. than it cured. During the 13 years that Prohibition was in effect the U.S. suffered from the devastating consequences that resulted from Prohibition. Consequences such as the birth of the speakeasy, which allowed a whole new class of drinkers that its predecessors did not allow, these new patrons were women. In Addition, Prohibition was responsible for the rapid growth of organized crime, higher rates of crime, and the creation of extremely wealthy criminals. The high costs associated with the enforcement of the laws of Prohibition, the higher rate of unemployment and the huge loss of excise tax revenue would have a huge harmful effect on the economy in the U.S. Corruption among government officials, law enforcement, mayors, etc. was so rampant that most citizens of the U.S. had a huge disrespect for the law and law enforcement. The criminal justice system and the penal system would be over-burdened and overcrowded, again costing the federal government more money they did not have as a result of Prohibition. Finally, Prohibition was responsible for the federal government relying on immoral, illegal tactics by poisoning industrial alcohol knowing that it would be stolen and distributed to U.S. citizens through

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