Prohibition

 

 

 

 

 Prohibition was an act that stopped allowing businesses that were manufacturing, selling, and distributing alcoholic beverages.^[1] The prohibition movement grew especially after the anti-saloon league in 1893 which was a non partisan organization that focused on the single issue of prohibition.

 

There was one way to obtain alcoholic beverages legally during the prohibiton years. That consisted of a physicians prescription, and getting it by purchasing it from a pharmacy. Physicians could prescribe distilled spirits, which was usually whiskey or brandy, and it was written on government prescription forms. ^[2]

 

 

 

 

 

 Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

 

     The Woman's Christian Temperance Union, known as WCTU was formed in 1874 by women who were preocupied about the influence of alcoholic beverages.  Mrs. Annie Wittenmyer, Ms. Frances E. Willard, Mrs. Mary Johnson, and Mrs. Mary Ingham were elected president, corresponding secretary, recording secretary, and treasurer respectively.  These women would gathered in churches to pray and afterwards, they would walked to the saloons and asked the owners to close them.  The major goal of the members of the WCTU was to protect their homes.  Due to this women's decision of abstinence from all alcoholic beverages, they came up with a definition of temperance and here it is:

 

 

                                                         Temperance may be defined as:

                                                         moderation in all things healthful;

                                                         total abstinence from all things harmful.  ^[3]

 

 

     Now a days the current oldest voluntary woman's organization is the WCTU, which has trained women to think better, being able to speak in public, and take charge of an organization for more than 135 years. 

 

 

 

 

 

Rum Runners 

 

     Prohibition was the true start of racing. Rum runners needed ways to get rum to homes and hidden bars. The best way was by car but the law was always  trying to hunt them down. Runners needed the power and speed to get away from the police.^[4] Rum Runners started fixing up cars to make them be able to out run police cars that were chasing them. Having more power in the cars caused people to drive faster. Over time the cars got bigger faster and people started to get into racing. Still to this day there are races called rum races that are in the middle of no where, that take place on dirt roads and have check points that you mark your time at.^[5]

 

 

Volstead Act-18th Amendment

 

      The manucfature, sale, transportation, import, or export of alcoholic beverages was forbidden by the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  It was approved in October 1919 by the Congress and was put into law as the National Prohibition Act of 1920 in January, 17.  The porpuse of this law was to reduce crime, poverty, death rates, and improve the quality of life and economy.  Due to lack of enforcement of this amendment, the results were not favorable causing a huge growth of crime and comsuption of alcohol.^[6]

 

 Crime rose in the United States in response, as gangs rose up to provide alcohol to the masses clamoring for it. Much of the success of underground economies, and the mafia that facilitated them, is a direct result of prohibition.

Bootleggers sold alcohol of varying strengths and qualities, and citizens flocked to underground speakeasies where they could obtain alcohol, listen to jazz, and dance the night away. Much of the culture of the 1920s in America was linked to Prohibition, but the nation certainly did not become more staid or temperate as a result of the passage of the law.^[7]

 

 

                                          newspaper headline expresses that the 18th Amendment was

                                                    approve and that it would take effect in one year.

 

 

The Ohio Dry Campaign of 1918

 

     Ohio was in favor of prohibition and declared illegal the handle of manufacture, distribution, and sell of alcoholic beverages.  However, not all the Ohioans supported prohibition so it divided the country into two groups, "the dries" (pro prohibition) and "the wets" (against prohibition).  In 1909, the brewers organized a counter-attack.  The Ohio brewers reduced the number of saloons to make sure that the owners were good people.  In 1918, "the dries" won a state-wide victory over "the wets".   ^[8]

 

 

 

 

 

     Even though some people believe that prohibition brough positive changes instead of negative ones, it is not entirely true because it caused some bigger problems as well.  In conclution no one truly knows wether prohibition was for the best or the worst.