It was the 18^th amendment, nicknamed at the time “Volstead Act” that began the time in American history known as Prohibition. Prohibition occurred from 1920 to 1933 at which time it was illegal to consume, trade, or manufacture any alcohol.   Prohibition met much public discontentment and the law was avoided and ignored by many people. The main goal of Prohibition was to stop the consumption of it by stopping the manufacturing and sales of alcohol^[1]. During this time many other events were taking place throughout the United States, such as during late 1920’s the great depression and the fall of the stock market. After the amendment passed there was increased organized crime, ‘alcohol running’, and bootlegging operations increased.

 

 Prohibition started to dwindle after the stock market crash of 1929. The government need jobs and money and legalizing alcohol would allow for both^[2].  In addition prisons were over filled and at average held over two times the designed amount. In 1933 the 21^st amendment was passed which stating that the 18^th amendment was repealed. This event was the first and only time that an amendment was overturned.

 

 

 

 

    

                                 

  

 

 

 

     The 18^th Amendment prohibits the manufacturing, sale, and transportation of alcohol. This then cause great controversy among people and many illegal actions were taken. Effects were the quantity and price of alcohol, and violence and crime increased. Between 1920-1934 homicide rates were higher than ever. People rebelled against the law of Prohibition and turned to violence and dealing of alcohol. By 1934 when the 21^st Amendment was repealed the crime rates gradually went down and as you can see in the graph below it shows its peak in about 1930.^[3]

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

       From the 1920's to the early 1930's nightclubs know as speakeasies were formed for people to be able to drink illegal alcohol. The 18^th amendment and the Volstead Act had little affect as there were many ways to get around these laws. Even before the 18^th amendment was passed there were already 16,000 underground bars which then grew to over 100,000 in New York alone. These nightclubs could have been found anywhere from barbershops to restaurants. Each had its own method of getting in so only people who were carefully chosen got to enter.^[4]

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

     Speakeasies had many good and bad influences on the country. It gave people the opportunity to drink, listen to jazz music, and just have fun. All this was good at first but over time many problems started to arise out of these nightclubs. It was normal for a speakeasy to contain a brothel and casino promoting gambling and prostitution. Demand for liquor led to a huge increase in smuggling which in turn led to numerous counts of bribery. This system will then evolve into organized crime from small gangs to full fledge mafia. Since everything was cheaper in a speakeasy including food, small businesses started to die out affecting the entire economy.^[5]

     Speakeasies although filled with illegal activity has never been fully stopped. A major reason why is corrupt cops. Most get paid off to turn a blind eye to all the activity around them. The city doesn’t give enough money to fund the manpower needed to stop speakeasies. Transportation is also too easy for smugglers. They disguise it in flasks, books, egg shells and many things most people wouldn’t even think of. The few speakeasies that do shutdown ends up reopening again as soon as it closes. Towards the 1930's the speakeasies lost popularity after alcohol was legalized again but is marked as an influential time in American history.^[6]

 

 

AMENDMENT XVIII

Passed by Congress December 18, 1917. Ratified January 16, 1919. Repealed by amendment 21.

Section 1.

After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

Section 2.

The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Section 3.

This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.^[7]