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Americans were consuming large amounts of alcohol annually
The average american was consuming 7.1 gallons of alcohol in a year. There were more saloons than schools, libraries, hospitals, or churches. Because alcohol was so deeply integrated into the american society, the temperance movement came into play. The temperance campaign was solely to push for the prohibition. -
18th Amendment is ratified
The progressive movements to ban alcohol became so popular that in 1919 the 18th amendment was added to the constitution. This amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of all types of intoxicating liquors in the United States. Some states had already become dry states before this was put in place because the idea of having a sober america was so popular. -
18th is considered a success
Soon after the 18th amendment was ratified, it was successful in the sense that the general public's consumption of alcohol diminished. Also the amount of crime related to the consumption of alcohol decreases which was what it was designed to do. -
Organized Crime
The people who disregarded the 18th amendment turned to the underground for alcohol. Organized crime became a major factor in the prohibition. They began to take advantage of weak enforcement and corrupt public officials. -
Bootlegging
The practice of making, transporting, and selling illegal liquor became known as bootlegging. This became a very common thing to do because of the high demand for alcohol. The organized crime became circled around bootlegging. -
The start of the Great Depression
America takes a huge sucker punch when the stock market crashed and left millions of citizens out of jobs. The then president, Herbert Hoover, began working soon after the crash to put America back to work and boost the economy but this could not happen over night. -
Depression Deepens
By 1931, 6 million americans were out of jobs and this only made things worse. Since people were out of jobs and wages decreased, no one spent any money. Since no one spent any money, the economy was still declining. The government began doing whatever it could so that people could find work and money could cycle through the system. This included the making of many federal works programs and the building of things such as the Lincoln tunnel and the Hoover dam. -
Up-coning Presidential Election
As the next presidential election aproaches, the governor of New York, Franklin D. Roosevelt, began running for president and made a promiss to the americans that if he was elected president, he would end the prohibition. -
Roosevelt's Inauguration is held
Franklin D. Roosevelt is swore into the preesidency as the 32nd president of the United States. He promisses in his inaugural speech to fix the economy and get the U.S. back on the right track, or die trying. -
21st Amendment is ratified
Utah is the 36th state to ratify the amendment which put it over its required 3/4 majority mark and was put into place. The 21st amendment repeals the 18th, which had started the prohibition. President Roosevelt had kept his promise
