Prohibition was intended to rid the world of the vices of alcohol, by outlawing its consumption and access to the common man. Alcoholism is defined as “a preoccupation with alcohol and impaired control over alcohol intake. Alcoholism is a chronic, often progressive disease. Left untreated, alcoholism can be fatal (Mayo Clinic, 2007).” Prohibition was a thirteen year experiment by the government of the United States to control the behavior and actions of the people. The results of this experiment were flagrantly negative due to poor planning and underachieving efforts on the part of the government to properly compensate for the efficiency and effectiveness of organized crime and bootleggers. This essay will illustrate the highs and lows of the 18th Amendment of the Constitution prohibiting the sale, manufacturing, and transportation of alcohol was impossible to enforce wasting time, money and government manpower.

Over the years alcohol has become a permanent fixture in the lives of American citizens. To each and every American, alcohol has a positive or negative impact based on the individuals unique life experiences. Alcohol has been perceived as a conveyer of bad habits and the pitfall to the very fabric of positive living in America. All individual lives are unique and full of positives and negatives; however alcohol is the original “substance of abuse” and has had a major impact on the better moral judgment of its users (Mayo Clinic, 2007). This is nothing new however since alcohol has been viewed as a means of enjoying the highs of life or drowning ones respective sorrows as an escape. The inalienable rights of America delineates that we are granted the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Where in this statement does the mistreatment or ill use of alcohol pertain to an abuse of our rights as individual human beings.

The right to drink or experience in the enjoyment of alcohol is a right that American society takes for granted. Many Americans are not aware of the past history of alcohol. Many Americans do not realize this country was almost turned inside out due to the “right to drink” alcohol being stripped from the grasp of the common man (Behr, 1996). Politicians in the early 1900’s sought to impede American citizens and their ability to partake in alcoholic beverages (Behr, 1996). These politicians believed American values were being destroyed by the consumption of alcohol and the very fiber of America was being stripped of its moral value (Behr, 1996).

According to the former Mayor of New York Fiorella LaGuardia “Many times in life, the rights of Americans seem to be too free. Freedom without some sense of order leads us to chaos (LaGuardia, 1926).” In the history of the United States, Alcohol has been viewed as a chaotic force that was ripping the country apart. The US government witnessed firsthand how the usage, sale, and overall business of alcohol was destroying the fabric of America, and poisoning the inner lining of everything the four fathers fought to build. New York City was the premier example of Alcohol becoming too hard to regulate. In NYC from 1900-1909, there were 526 alcohol related deaths (USDC, 1924). From 1910 to 1917, the mortality rate reached 619 (USDC, 1924). During 1918 to 1927 the death toll in NYC reached 822 (USDC, 1924). The alcohol phenomena was a proverbial “raging beast” that was problematic for the safety of Americans (LaGuardia, 1926; Malzburb, 1949). The original mechanism for sale, usage, and distribution of alcohol was the saloon (Warburton, 1932; Rosenbloom, 1935). These establishments throughout New York City either manufactured their own unique blend of spirits or imported and distributed alcohol from Canada (Lerner, 1984). In an attempt to thwart the uncontrolled anarchy associated with this alcohol epidemic, the US government sought to fight back. The weapon of choice was a piece of legal legislation entitled “Prohibition”. The Eighteenth Amendment to the constitution was formally enacted on January 16, 1920 (LaGuardia, 1926; Lerner, 1984). The law was formally known as the National Prohibition Act, or commonly referred to as “Prohibition” (LaGuardia, 1926; Lerner, 1984). Prohibition was the idea of Andrew J. Volstead, who was the chair to House Judiciary Committee of Congress (Krout, 1967; Lerner, 1984). Congressman Volstead created Prohibition as the governments counter attack to the alcohol epidemic. Under the definition of Prohibition, intoxicating liquor was considered as any drinkable liquid substance containing over 0.5 percent alcohol within its content (LaGuardia, 1926; Lerner, 1984). During this time period the United States endured the end of WWI, the roaring twenties, and the early stages of the great depression (Feldman, 1927). The government was not fully prepared for the rigors of fighting the alcohol epidemic with the change in tenure of the country over the time period. The law of prohibition created a new and very violent sect of society in organized crime and bootleggers (Lerner, 1984).

The speakeasies became the distribution platform for bootleggers. Illegal speak-easies replaced saloons and were inconspicuously located down alleys or abandoned buildings throughout the city. The speakeasies were intricate systems to avoid detection. They were most likely “hidden and admitted only those with membership cards, and had the most modern alarm systems to avoid being shut down (Thornton, 1991, p. 5).” I reality “there were twice as many speak-easies in Rochester, New York, as saloons closed by Prohibition” (Thornton, 1991, p. 6). Bootleggers began to increase in wealth and obtained very “profitable businesses (one bootlegger was worth more than five million dollars), either illegally imported liquor, stole it from government warehouses, or made their own, making it readily available to customers (Bowen, 1969, p. 170).” The bootlegging industry in New York became very creative with the process of concealment and avoiding detection. Some bootleggers were crafty enough to hide alcohol in home products which were sold to customers who wanted small quantities of alcohol. Home products such as “Vine-Glo, a type of grape juice, turned into wine (15 percent alcohol) after sixty days of fermentation, and Wort, or near beer, was legally produced because it had less than 0.5 percent alcohol. When added to yeast, this product quickly turned into beer (Bowen, 1969, p.163).”

Also, the “Alcohol used for medicinal purposes, prescribed by a doctor, were restricted to only one pint was allowed per person in a ten day period, but these rules were blatantly ignored (Bowen, 1969, p. 164).” Medicinal alcohol started to over sell as well due to its 95 percent pure alcohol content, which saw sales increase 400 percent between 1923 and 1931 (Warburton, 1932). The Federal Prohibition Bureau (FPB) was very limited in their resources and mustered a minute force of 1,550 agents (Bowen, 1969). The FPB had an unbelievable task of policing a city and state (New York), and also a country (USA) with over 18,700 miles of borders and unobservable entry points (Wenburn, 234). In essence the FPB never had a legitimate chance to cleanly enforce the prohibition movement sue to limitations in the resources. The inadequacy of their efforts in enforcing prohibition led to organized crime gaining influence and power with the city due to their ability to supply New Yorkers with the alcohol they demanded (Behr, 1996).

As a byproduct of the poor planning and lack of resources towards enforcement of the Prohibition Act, the birth of an illegal industry toward alcohol became and even more powerful mechanism for crime and chaos in the city. The crime rate increased to levels dwarfing the pre-prohibition period. In large cities around the nation, “homicide went from 5.6 (per 100,000 population) in the pre-prohibition period, to nearly 10 (per 100,000 population) during prohibition, nearly a 78 percent increase (Malzburg, 1949; Thornton, 1991, p. 9).” Prohibition spawned a new age of crime violence, but also shed a new light on the ineffectiveness of government intervention. From the vantage point of history, many scholars believe never in history “has law been more flagrantly violated. Not only did Americans continue to manufacture, barter, and possess alcohol; they drank more of it” (Bowen, 1969, p.154). The efforts of the prohibitionist were a good hearted cause based on saving Americans from the dredges of life. The thinking behind prohibition was that is alcohol was illegal, people would be good natured and abide by the law and reform their taste of alcohol. However, all prohibition did was cause American to adapt to the system and find new ways of obtaining their illegal pleasure.

Many scholars believe Prohibition should not have gone on for the thirteen years, because the damage to society was noticeable almost immediately. While prohibition failed in reforming the habits of American citizens, it did bring to light the corruption of societal structure and the need for reform of American morals towards law and authority. The ability of society to adapt to the system they did not believe in wholeheartedly, rather than reform is a testament to the fortitude of the American citizen. Prohibition is an important aspect of the history of many cities such as New York, but also to the American culture. The lessons learned from the 13-year trial experiment have gone a long way to establishing the merits of American societal structure and beliefs. Through the fire and turmoil of the prohibition years, the fabric of American society has been stained. It is through the rebuilding process of the generations after prohibition to make better decisions concerning alcohol and other substances and lead the country to a new definition of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

In conclusion, alcohol and liquor have played a prominent role in the shaping and development of the country. This historical relevance of Prohibition will go a long way to insuring America as a country understands it limitations in being able to control the actions of the American citizens. Mankind should not be left to fend for themselves against their vices and ailments, but should be given a choice and an alternative rather than an ultimatum. The decision by the United States government to force Prohibition on the citizens was a mistake. The option should have been given for reform, because in the end the resilient constituents adapted to the system and found ways to transcend the oppression, and this resulted in the failure to comply with the 18th Amendment of the Constitution prohibiting the sale, manufacturing, and transportation of alcohol was impossible to enforce wasting time, money and government manpower.

References

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LaGuardia, Fiorella H. (1929). American prohibition in the 1920s. 1926.

Lerner, M. (1984). Dry Manhattan. Cambridge. Harvard University Press.

Malzburg, B.(1949). A study of first admissions with alcohol psychoses in New York State 1943-44," Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 10: 294 (December, 1949). Miller, P. and Johnson, T. H. (eds.): 11 the Puritans, New York City: American Book Co. (1963), pp. 430-431.

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Rosenbloom, M. V. (1935). The liquor industry: A survey of its history, manufacture, problems of control and importance, Braddock: Ruffsdale Distilling Co. (1937 ed.), pp. 27, 51-52 (1935)).

Thornton, Mark.(1991). Policy analysis: Alcohol prohibition was a failure. Provo: University of Utah.

U.S. Department of Commerce. (1924). (USDC) U.S. Census Mortality Statistics.

Warburton, C.(1932). The economic results of prohibition. New York City: Columbia University Press.

Wenburn, Neil. (1991). The USA: A chronicle of pictures. New York: Smithmark Publishers Inc.,