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Enemies
In 1893 the Anti-Saloon Leauge was created, this league fought to support the Prohibition along with the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Soon after they were able to succeed in their push to enable local prohibition laws. Not long after this the campaign was nationwide. -
Problems
Alcohol was so deeply ingrained in peoples heads that there were more saloons that schools, libraries, hospitals, theaters, parks, or churches. In the first 20 years of was the "drive for Prohibition" after the temperance campaign of the late 19th century. -
18th Amendment was passed
On December of 1917 Congress passed the 18th Amendment and then sent it to the states to be ratified. This amendment would ban the consumption, sale, and transportation of intoxicating beverages for people to consume. The first state to pass this law was Maine. The 18th Amendment was the result of decades of effort by the temperance movement in the U.S. and was only considered a progressive amendment at the time. -
Amendment Ratified
On January 16, 1919 the ratification for the 18th Amendment was completed and was certified by the Secretary of State Frank L. Polk. Congress was able to get the three-fourths majority vote they needed that was necessary for passing the amendment. The amendment would take effect on January 17 of the following year. -
Volstead Act
On October 28 Congress passed the Volstead Act, this gave support to prohibition. In turn they created a special Prohibition unit of the Treasury Department. They destroyed thousands of illegal stills run by bootleggers. Police and federal officers didn't do very much more and did little more than stop the flow of alcohol, this allowed the crime rates to grow in America. Al Capone built illegal empires out of illegal distribution and federal and state governements lost their money in taxes. -
Impact
After the adoption of the amendment there was a considerably low amount of crimes taking place that involved the consumption of alcohol. The crime rate went up with the crimes that involved the distribution and transportation of alcohol though. "Speakeasies" were the Prohinition Era term for saloons, they were very popular and the tolerance for alcohol was large. -
Amendment
In 1928 the democratic candidate Al Smith openly spoke about the need to repeal the 18th Amendment. By 1931 Herbert Hoover was informed that the costs of the Prohibition were higher than the benefits they were gaining out of it. By this happening it gave the opponets comfort considering they knew the effects that the amendment was causing. -
Failing
Prohibition fully failed because nobody stopped drinking, sobriety was defeated by the fact that people wanted to drink alcohol. It lost it's support in the early 1930s. -
National Prohibition Act repealed
The Prohibition Act of the distribution and consumption of alcohol was repealed in 1933. It was done so by the 21st Amendment, which is the only time in U.S. history that an amendment was repealed in its entirety. This allowed the public to be able to consume and buy alcohol. -
Ending of the Prohibition
As time led on some of the states continued to enforce their temperance laws and maintained Prohibition. Mississippi was the last one to end Prohibition for good and remained a dry state until 1966.
