Even if a person has good ideas and intentions if they force it on to somebody, will the other person submit or retaliate? That is what happened during the middle of 1919 when congress passed the law that forced Americans to dispose of any alcohol even after President Woodrow Wilson vetoed this idea. Americans were wise to believe that by eliminating alcohol they would eliminate many problems America was facing, but they went about it the wrong way. Congress’s subtle law made the common people of America retaliate which made matters worse than what they were before. The problems that America was trying to decrease through Prohibition actually increased. Congress did not expect that, through this act, power would be passed to criminals, drunks
…show more content…
Today many people think that the increase of people in prisons during prohibition was because they were now jailing people caught drinking which is true, but the crime rate actually increased as well. George Marose said, “Homicides, burglaries, and assaults consequently increased significantly between 1920 and 1930.” That happened because violent people and gangs such as Al Capone and the Mafia gained power through selling illegal alcohol. Al Capone was not only superior in Chicago because of his fearsome reputation; he heavily influenced other people to view violence and crime as a way of life and necessary to survive in this new America. The Mafia was a group whose life centered around violence and forced people into a decision: follow the Mafia’s decisions or live in fear. These gangs were none like anyone had ever seen before; they were the reason for the murder rate doubling during prohibition (“Prohibition and Crime”). The crime rate rose so drastically because people who were in debt to the higher up gangs were murdered. Even if a person who drank alcohol was never directly apart of a gang, they still made the gang’s success possible because they bought their alcohol. There were so many speakeasies and people selling alcohol that John Wukovits says, “Consequently, overwhelmed enforcement officers wondered whether their actions made any difference” (118). Towards the end of Prohibition officers finally realized although banning alcohol and its production had good intentions, it was obvious that it be nearly impossible to enforce the law. America did not have enough money, time, or officers to catch all the people violating the law. Since crime started becoming more prevalent in America, people started wondering if taking away prohibition would take away crime as
Today many people think that the increase of people in prisons during prohibition was because they were now jailing people caught drinking which is true, but the crime rate actually increased as well. George Marose said, “Homicides, burglaries, and assaults consequently increased significantly between 1920 and 1930.” That happened because violent people and gangs such as Al Capone and the Mafia gained power through selling illegal alcohol. Al Capone was not only superior in Chicago because of his fearsome reputation; he heavily influenced other people to view violence and crime as a way of life and necessary to survive in this new America. The Mafia was a group whose life centered around violence and forced people into a decision: follow the Mafia’s decisions or live in fear. These gangs were none like anyone had ever seen before; they were the reason for the murder rate doubling during prohibition (“Prohibition and Crime”). The crime rate rose so drastically because people who were in debt to the higher up gangs were murdered. Even if a person who drank alcohol was never directly apart of a gang, they still made the gang’s success possible because they bought their alcohol. There were so many speakeasies and people selling alcohol that John Wukovits says, “Consequently, overwhelmed enforcement officers wondered whether their actions made any difference” (118). Towards the end of Prohibition officers finally realized although banning alcohol and its production had good intentions, it was obvious that it be nearly impossible to enforce the law. America did not have enough money, time, or officers to catch all the people violating the law. Since crime started becoming more prevalent in America, people started wondering if taking away prohibition would take away crime as