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Martin Rennaker

APUSH

Cherry Whipple

3/22/2017

Prohibition: An Impactful Movement Before During and After the Laws

The Progressive Era in US history brought about new legislation and social movements

meant to bring about reform and equality. Due to the rapid industrialization in the late 19th

century many issues appeared regarding equality among people. The inequality pushed many

groups to protest and push for change. One of the first major calls for reform was in industrial

worker rights involving shorter work days, higher wages, and improved work conditions. The

labor reform showed many people other social areas needing change, such as more rights for

women, children, and African Americans. Consequently many movements focused on these

issues with the hope to ‘progress’ The U.S. into a more accepting and equal country. Along with

the fight for rights, there were many things people felt were inhibiting freedoms, one of these

being alcohol. The temperance movement and then prohibition was the most impactful reform of

the progressive era because it pushed for less domestic violence, better family life, and a safer

environment in the U.S. in general. The main supporting groups, The Women’s Christian

Temperance Union and other protestant groups, felt like prohibition needed to exist to improve

the quality of life for a large range of people. Other arguments for prohibition were for the health

and safety of alcoholics as the negative long term effects of alcohol had already been discovered.

In order to combat alcohol, temperance movements got laws, such as the Volstead Act, passed.

The efforts of the supporters were in vain however; About one decade after prohibition officially

started it was revoked due to the other issues it brought.

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The issue addressed by Prohibition was that of alcohol. Due to the rapid influx of workers

in the recent Gilded Age, alcohol was able to be mass produced. Also, the increase of immigrants

introduced many new types of liquor for public consumption. According to Jane O’Brien, a

reporter for BBC news, 7.1 gallons of alcohol were consumed in 1880, compared to the 2.1

gallons in 2015 (O’Brien). This shows that there was a clear alcoholism issue in the US leading

towards reform. Other evidence to this is the over 540,000 deaths from alcohol in 1910

(Schaffer). This data supports the decision made by the government to limit alcohol consumption

for public safety. Another large cause for the increase in alcohol consumption was the factory

workers. Workers in the Gilded Age had long work days and after work would go to nearby

saloons with the intent of relaxing and drinking before going home to their family. By doing this,

many workers ended up going home drunk, greatly increasing domestic violence rates as well as

alcohol mortality rates.

Supporters of prohibition were women groups and protestants. Protestants were in favor

of maintaining prohibition because they felt that reducing the consumption of alcohol was “not...

punishment but... necessary” for the safety of the American populous (Temperance). According

to Leah Berk from the Brown University Library people in the early 20th century were already

aware of the negative impacts on health that alcohol had on the body (Berk). This explains the

desire of protestant religious groups to aid those addicted to alcohol. These groups felt that as

long as it was legal to purchase and consume alcohol their efforts would be futile. The other

main group opposing the issue were the women’s rights activists and more specifically the

Women’s Christian Temperance Union. They fought against alcohol because of it’s impact on

the home environment and the domestic violence it brought.

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Proponents of this act were women connected to the Anti-Saloon league and the

Women’s Christian Temperance movement, who found alcohol to be a hazard to home life. The

Women’s Christian Temperance Union worked very hard for women and children rights

meaning they were highly involved in this issue. Their main voice in their organization was

France Willard who argued against keeping alcohol legal. Along with being one of the most

prominent voices in the passing of The Volstead Acts, Willard also helped reform the Women’s

Christian Temperance Union into an even more powerful group. Willard changed the Union to a

group more focused on women’s rights and equality for all. All throughout prohibition The

Women’s Christian Temperance Union supported abstinence from alcohol. The Anti Saloon

League was the other large organization and as the name suggests it focused solely on

prohibition and the banning of alcohol. Similar to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union,

the Anti Saloon League teamed up with churches to spread their cause and gain more supporters

(Kerr Anti-Saloon).

These groups and official organizations, in fighting for prohibition, got a couple of bills

issued. The first of these bills was the 18th amendment which made the “sale or transport of

intoxicating liquors” illegal (U.S. Const. Amend. XVIII section 1). This amendment, however,

only worked for a short time, causing the supporters to introduce a new bill, The Volstead Act, to

enforce and strengthen the amendment. The Volstead Act took the 18th amendment one step

further and banned intoxicating beverages entirely. In doing this the supporters hoped to continue

to allow alcohol to be used for religion or other sanctioned industries, while limiting

consumption.

The effects of this legislation is massive. The most commonly known effect is the

creation of gangs who illegally produced, acquired, and sold alcohol to those with a large enough
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wallet. The most influential of these gangs was the one in Chicago Illinois run by Al Capone.

Capone “was earning $60 million a year from alcohol sales alone” making him one of the most

well known people in the entire city (Trueman). Most cities while having one main powerhouse

gang, still had multiple gangs who were all rivals and all strived for the top. This made gang

wars a regular commodity causing many civilian and gang member casualties. Referencing

Chicago and Al Capone again “227 gangsters were killed in… 4 years” which shows the level of

violence between gangs (Trueman). The other side of these gangs were the bribes made to

politicians and police. In a 1926 political cartoon by Clive Weed, many men are depicted turned

away from the viewer (Weed). This image is supposed to represent the bribed officials and their

tendency to turn a blind eye to illegal alcohol selling and transporting. Gangs also bribed

politicians with the hopes of gaining political influence in their respective cities. Political power

was valuable to gangs because it meant they could have a larger influence on imports and exports

of the city. Having this control allowed Gangs to acquire more and sell more alcohol. Having

bribed officials also made the cities more dangerous for civilians who were regulars at

“speakeasies” or illegal bars because there was little to no regulation to the violence inside of

them.

Another effect of these laws passed was the negative impact on people’s lives that it

had without much positive for society. Many jobs in the brewing industry, due to these laws,

were rendered useless because it was illegal to sell their product. Many people felt that hurting

the economy was not worth the brief period of reduced alcohol consumption caused by the law.

The brewers weren’t the only group of people who lost jobs because of these laws, bartenders as

well took a major hit, as would be expected. However a decent number of bartenders were then

picked up by gangs to run the speakeasies. Also these laws, as evidenced by the previous
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paragraph, didn’t lower drinking rates. To draw a connection to modern time in relation to drugs,

anyone who wanted alcohol could acquire alcohol just like now where anyone who wants drugs

can acquire drugs. If the laws did anything, they increased the rates of alcohol consumption, this

is because of human psychology. The government banned alcohol consumption which only made

people more curious and made them strive harder to obtain it and drink it.

The laws passed for prohibition were eventually repealed, however this is not a negative

thing. The reason these laws failed was because of their restriction of individual liberty. Yes,

alcohol was the reason for a lot of domestic violence and abuse. Alcohol also injured the family

environment by making parents unreliable on occasion. However people have a limit to which

they will be controlled. This is the lesson learned by the U.S. government and what has pushed

us to the point that we are at currently. The restriction caused more people to drink, some of

whom were simply doing this in order to prove that they won’t give up this liberty. Also, the

government, through the failing of this bill, learned that there needs to be a limit on the

restrictions placed on industry. Many brewers were greatly impacted by these laws through the

immense loss of money. The positive impacts of prohibition were still apparent after it ended

even though they were shifted to lessons learned by the government.

The Temperance Movement, backed strongly by protestants and women’s rights activists,

while failing in the end was done with good supported intentions. They were meant to protect the

U.S. populace from the negative impacts of alcohol on physical and mental health; as well as

reduce domestic abuse and improve family life. Once laws were passed on the issue, however,

people saw the negative effects and realized that they were not worth the positives. The 18th

amendment and The Volstead Act ended up not ending the consumption of alcohol, instead they

appeared to have raised it. They also lead to greater corruption in city politics through the
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creation of gangs. Although through their failure the U.S. government learned a valuable lesson

about the amount of freedoms the american people will give up.
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Annotated Bibliography

Kerr, Austin. Anti-Saloon League. Temperance & Prohibition. Shelton,

Mitchell. The Ohio State University. Autumn, 2006.

https://prohibition.osu.edu/anti-saloon-league

Austin Kerr in his “Temperance & Prohibition” compilation included this piece about the Anti-

Saloon League. In it he explains their purpose for forming and what they did to combat the

consumption of alcohol. Kerr’s article is important because it shows one of the groups opposed

to alcohol. In doing this Kerr gives people more insight on the issue and provides more

background the the action taken by the U.S. in relation to temperance.

O’Brien, Jane. The Time When Americans Drank All Day Long. BBC News Washington. 9

March 2015. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31741615

In her 2015 article “The Time When Americans Drank All Day Long” Jane O’Brien goes in

depth on the state of alcohol consumption in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

O’Brien explains why people had negative views on alcohol by giving the numbers on drinking

rates. She then strengthens her claim by relating these values to modern time. This information is

valuable because it shows how large of an issue alcohol was and why it needed to be changed.

Schaffer, Cliff. Did Alcohol Use Decrease During Prohibition? Drug Library.

http://www.druglibrary.org/prohibitionresults1.htm

This article by Cliff Schaffer is focused on alcohol consumption during prohibition and whether

or not it went down. Schaffer utilizes the public data released in 1972 to support his article as

well as the views of other historians. This article is impactful because Schaffer concludes that

alcohol consumption did not go down, in fact it rose slightly.

Temperance Movement. Law Library. Net Industries.

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http://law.jrank.org/pages/10714/Temperance-Movement.html

This informative encyclopedia entry addresses the causes of prohibition, as well as what

happened throughout its duration. The Author focuses heavily on people’s opinions on the

Temperance movement. This helps the reader understand the views of the groups in support of

prohibition to add more reason behind the laws passed in support of prohibition.

Berk, Leah. Temperance and Prohibition Era Propaganda: A Study in Rhetoric. Alcohol,

Temperance, and Prohibition. Brown University Library. Fall 2004.

http://library.brown.edu/cds/temperance/essay.html

In Leah Berk’s 2004 article about the causes for prohibition she discussed people and their views

on alcohol. She explains previous studies done on the negative ramifications of alcohol mentally

and physically. In writing this article, Berk informs people more about why there was such a

negative view on alcohol during this time.

Trueman, C, N. Prohibition And The Gangsters. The History Learning Site, 22 May 2015.

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/america-1918-

1939/prohibition-and-the-gangsters/

In C N Trueman’s 2015 article regarding gangsters during prohibition he goes into their alcohol

sales and how they made such a large profit. Trueman explains that because it was such a desired

commodity, many people wished to acquire it and would willingly pay a lot of money for it.

Trueman’s article is impactful because it shows the true magnitude and size of the gangs in cities

across the country. This article also emphasizes the number of gangster casualties which took

place in a very small period of time.

Berger, Meyer. CAPONE CONVICTED OF DODGING TAXES; MAY GET 17 YEARS. The New
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York Times. The New York Times on the Web. Oct. 18, 1929.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1017.html

In Meyer Berger’s 1929 Article for The New York Times Capone Convicted of Dodging Taxes;

May Get 17 Years, Berger gives the transcript of Al Capone's trial as well as giving the aftermath

of reporters and detectives’ interactions with him. Berger utilizes the transcript in order to

accurately explain each person’s point of view regarding his arrest. Berger writes this article for

the New York Times with the purpose of informing the public of the arrest of a rather large mob

boss in Chicago, this is evident in his inclusion of Mr. Johnson’s, a detective, discussion after the

trial. The discussion is over the methods used by Al Capone to achieve the small fortune he has,

it is clear there is a different and illegal method of acquiring capital used by Capone, not

mentioned by him nor the detective.

Donovan, Francis. Connecticut Cloakmaker. Living Lore in New England. Mr. MacCurrie. Dec.

21, 1938. https://www.loc.gov/resource/wpalh0.09011906/?sp=1

This interview of Mr. MacCurrie by Francis Donovan for Living Lore in New England is over

MacCurrie’s opinion of Prohibition laws. MacCurrie’s point is that it is entirely pointless

because the enforcement of the laws is so difficult. Donovan’s reason for interviewing Mr.

MacCurrie was to exact an opinion from a citizen in Connecticut over the recent law and changes

made in society. Donovan’s interview is important because it emphasised to the government the

lack of help coming from their anti-alcohol laws.

Kerr, Austin. The Brewing Industry and Prohibition. Temperance & Prohibition. Shelton,

Mitchell. The Ohio State University. Autumn, 2006. http://prohibition.osu.edu/brewing-

industry-prohibition
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Austin Kerr’s inclusion of this article in his collection Temperance & Prohibition was done in

order to emphasize the negative impact Prohibition had on brewers, their distributors, and the

household. Through Kerr’s explanation of the Saloon, the reader is shown the eccentric turn

taken by drinkers and how this environment “encouraged customers to drink more alcohol.” The

inclusion of the Saloon environment is important because it further justifies the need for and

creation of groups such as “The Anti-Saloon League” and the “Woman’s Christian Temperance

Union” who were active supporters of stronger enforcement of the Prohibition laws.

Willard, Frances. “We Sang Rock of Ages”: Frances Willard Battles Alcohol in the late 19th

century. Glimpses of Fifty Years: The Autobiography of an American Woman, 339–41.

The U.S. Survey Course on the Web. History Matters.

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/92.html

In this Article by Frances Willard, Willard explores the ramifications and negatives associated

with saloons and their impact on the family unit. Willard, through the use of her and her

colleagues’ experiences with the negative impact of alcohol, emphasizes the reasoning and need

for her religious organization which openly opposes alcohol and any consumption of it. Willard’s

stance and arguments are important because they demonstrate the effects of alcohol and promote

the continuation of illegal alcoholism.

Clive, Weed. Judge. American Social History Project. June 12, 1926. The U.S. Survey Course

on the Web. History Matters. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6662

This political cartoon by Judge Magazine is an image with people of authority turning their

backs to the audience. The artist is attempting to show the bribery and corruption taking place at

the time causing many public officials to turn their backs on crime. Another aspect of the

cartoon is the names and their implications on what was being ignored. Upon the back of one of
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the officials are the words “Prohibition Agent” implying that the main crime being ignored by

the officials was the illegal distribution of alcohol. This is important because it shows the failure

of the laws to have an impact on the alcohol industry.

Thornton, Mark. Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure. Cato Institute. July 17, 1991.

https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa157.pdf

In Mark Thornton’s analysis of prohibition Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure he contrasts the

benefits of prohibition with the negatives to show that it ultimately wasn’t successful and should

not have happened at all. Through Thornton's analysis, he compares prohibition to the drug bans

in modern time and explains how the restriction placed on the substances causes people to want

to use and abuse them more. Backing his claims with facts, Thornton explains the decrease of

drinking caused by the creation of the laws but then the steady increase of drinking soon

thereafter. Thornton’s explanation is important because it explains the good intentions of

prohibition but how it simply raised the need of people to consume and acquire alcohol.