The Pros And Cons Of Prohibition

Arrests for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct declined 50 percent between 1916 and 1922 (Lerner). For the population as a whole, the best estimates are that consumption of alcohol declined by 30 percent to 50 percent. Prohibition is the period in 1920-33 when the Eighteenth Amendment was in force and alcoholic beverages could not legally be manufactured, transported, or sold in the U.S. this period of time both had its positives and negatives to the economy and the people that were living in this time (“Prohibition.” Dictionary.com) . Resulting in the economy dropping and the increase on illegal bootlegging and crime rates during this period of time. To begin, as a result of prohibition, the economy expected sales of clothing and other goods to skyrocket. Also, real estate developers and landlords expected rents to rise, along with smaller convenience stores. . The closing of breweries, distilleries and saloons led to the elimination of thousands of jobs, and in turn thousands more jobs were eliminated for barrel makers, truckers, waiters, and other related trades.In New York, almost 75% of the state's revenue was derived from liquor taxes. With Prohibition in effect, that revenue …show more content…
It was estimated that nearly 1000 americans died every year due to drinking tainted bad liquor. Bootlegging got so daring that law enforcement were often bribed to join the bootlegging act. Many stayed wise and didn't act upon.Also, a rise in criminal activity occurred in the prohibition era. The most notorious example was the Chicago Gangster Al Capone, who earned a staggering $60 million annually from bootleg operations and speakeasies. Such illegal operations fueled a corresponding rise in gang violence, including the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929, in which several men dressed as policemen (and believed to be have associated with Capone) shot and killed a group of men in an enemy gang.