Prohibition began in January 1920. It banned the transportation, manufacture, and sale of all alcohol in the U.S. It was the 18th Amendment. Prohibition came because of crime, wife and child abuse, accidents on the job, and other serious social problems. Prohibition both positively and negatively affected the United States.

During WWI, it was unpatriotic to consume alcohol. This was because alcohol contained ingredients that military members needed for food. In the after-math of WWI, Americans were tired of making sacrifices for their country; they wanted to enjoy life. In other words they wanted to drink, and they did. This was against Prohibition, and many kept the alcohol coming. Another reason why it was unpatriotic to drink during WWI was that Americans developed a hostility to German-American brewers, and other immigrant groups that used alcohol. They believed that id you drank their alcohol, you were supporting the enemy.

Drinking alcohol troubled many people with jobs and money. Lots of people would go to bars and spend all of their hard earned money and then have nothing left for their families. There was also lack of production at factories. Many workers would show up to their jobs drunk, and not able to perform their needed tasks. Many men would also come home drunk, and beat their wives and children. That’s just one thing, though. 50% of all crimes were caused by alcohol during this time. Groups were formed to try to prevent it. One of them was called the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The WTCU was an organized group of women who were concerned about the destructive powers that alcohol possessed.

Prohibition was known as the 18th Amendment. It was meant to prevent alcohol from being anywhere in the US because it was thought to cause so many problems. But because of Prohibition, crime went up massively. Most of those who were doing so were average people. They were bootleggers, aho hosted speakeasies. Bootleggers would illegally transport alcohol by putting it in their boots. Many people went to speakeasies. At speakeasies, people would illegally buy alcohol in underground taverns. They were called this because you had to speak softly in order to not be heard. The way to get into a speakeasy was by telling a guard standing outside the secret building a password.

Gangsters played a big role in the mess of Prohibition. One of the biggest, was a man by the name of Al Capone. Al Capone headed a criminal empire in Chicago, which he controlled with bribes and violence. From 1925 to 1931, Capone hosted 10,000 speakeasies, and made $60 million a year off of bootlegging. Capone took control of his liquor business like no other; he killed them off. The end came quickly for him, though. In 1931 the chief of gangsters was arrested on tax evasion and sent to jail. That was the only crime that authorities could get him on. Capone was later released from jail, several years later he died at age 48.

The government could not project enough profit to keep the economy running. The economy was majorly affected during Prohibition. There was no profit going towards the government off of selling alcohol. 11 billion dollars was lost, but that doesn’t include the 300 million dollars that it cost to enforce Prohibition. Because of Prohibition, the death rate also went up. This was because there were harmful chemicals being put in rubbing alcohol and things similar to that to try to stop people from drinking. People would drink things like this as a substitute for alcohol during Prohibition. People became even more enraged at this.

In the end, the 18th Amendment was repealed on December 5, 1933. This was because Prohibition caused many bad things like organized crime. The government also needed money, and because of the Stock Market Crash, they became desperate. The solution was to once again allow alcohol. It was the first amendment to ever be repealed, making American history.