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What was the Women's Christian Temperance Movement?

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What was the Women's Christian Temperance Movement?

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The Women’s Christian Temperance Union was originally founded to promote the abandonment of all liquor and alcohol. They promoted the ratification of Prohibition through peaceful protests. Some members of the union made speeches about the consequences of drinking alcohol.

The Women’s Christian Temperance Union advocated for Temperance because they believed it would help make a safer home life for women and children. The Union believed that eliminating alcohol would eliminate rash decisions and abuse by drunk made by drunk citizens.

The Union was a very advanced organization with their slogan, ‘“Every Land”’ paired with a motto that says, ‘“Agitate, Educate, Legislate”’. Having developed a slogan and motto shows their constant work in the field of Prohibition and also highlights their seriousness and dedication.

In 1879 Frances Willard was chosen as the president of the WTCU ( Women’s Christian Temperance Union ) and she changed the focus of the Union to include more political activism. The new political activism focus caused the WCTU to grow into an international movement. With Willard as its president, it became the world’s largest organization as of 1890. Willard was president until she died 8 years later in 1898.

The WCTU soon included other social and civil issues as they grew, like sex work, women’s suffrage, tobacco, and drug use in general. Although the popularity and commonplace of Prohibition supporters has ceased to exist, 36 countries and even most states still have active temperance and WCTU unions.

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What a Protest approving Prohibtion may have looked like.

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What were some of the factors that led to the Ratification of the 18th Amendment?

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What were some of the factors that led to the Ratification of the 18th Amendment?

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There is a long list of reasons for prohibition to be accepted. The first of which is religious reasons, Protestant Churches were one of the many groups to support prohibition because of the attack on alcohol sales, and prohibition was widely encouraged in 1906. Many religious groups thought of alcohol as a devil's drink, because consumption of alcohol led to poor judgment and bad decisions. The Anti-Saloon League was formed with support mostly stemming from Protestant churches and paved the way for believers in prohibition by leading the action to pass a law on prohibition Corruption, deep-rooted in many saloons, was also an influential factor that eventually resulted in the law of Prohibition being passed, as some were also concerned for the worker safety and efficiency. Drunk workers were ineffective and unreliable.

Alcohol was seen by many as playing a role in other societal issues like slavery, women’s rights, education, and other problems in the era when many people wanted social reform. The Anti-Saloon League was not the only group of people who supported Prohibition, it wasn’t even the only league. Many started to form temperance leagues in support of Prohibition. Temperance Leagues held meetings that attempted to win over the public and convince all of them to quit alcohol and support Prohibition. They also tried to persuade them into thinking alcohol was bad for their health and for society. These Temperance Leagues started an intense campaign for the ban of alcohol’s manufacturing and sale, occasionally these groups resorted to violence and simply destroyed kegs of beer and bottles of liquor.

Also demolishing and destroying the buildings in which the alcohol was sold. The reason for many churches despising and discouraging the consumption of alcohol was because it was seen as immoral as it made people commit other acts that the church saw as sinful.

The government used to obtain lots of its income from alcohol taxes but the government gained a new ability to levy income taxes from individuals and businesses. The government used to make 40% of income tax from alcohol sales. This led to the government being less dependent on alcohol sales, therefore making Prohibition a very distinct possibility.

Another factor that led to Prohibition was World War 1 because many connected alcohol to Germany. Since it was seen as patriotic to avoid anything associated with Germany, therefore the 18th Amendment gained support. Some jobs were given to women to replace the men at war. Because of the fact that most women already supported temperance, the movement grew, because the women were now more well known and heard nationally. Lastly, the passing of the 18th Amendment was much easier than it would’ve been at any other time in American History. This was because many saw improvement and reform happening in other areas of life, so the law became part of a kind of domino effect.

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How was Prohibition enforced and regulated?

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How was Prohibition enforced and regulated?

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Policemen were paid off to not enforce Prohibition, so it wasn’t exactly a strict law. It was highly opposed and also highly supported, so there was pushback on both sides.

The U.S. enforced the law by using the treasury. The U.S. Treasury had 3,000 agents at its peak. These agents were the people who enforced Prohibition. These agents were paid only $2,500 as a yearly salary. The agents of Prohibition saw some bloody battles. Many died at the hands of Prohibition enforcers who sometimes got into shootouts with smugglers. The Prohibition problem made its way to the borders of Canada and Mexico which needed to be guarded and patrolled.

Cops were also used as enforces of Prohibition. They were increasing in numbers as of the 1920’s. The budget to enforce Prohibition was enlarged. Prisons operated at more than 150 percent capacity. These prisons made room for the new prisoners who were part of the people who broke the Prohibition law.

Some were gangsters, and some were ordinary people who simply purchased alcohol. Lawmakers thought that increasing the punishment for breaking the 18th Amendment would fix their current issues. The prison time was brought up to five years for buying one drink. The criminal also would have to pay thousands of dollars in fines. Agents of the law were cracking down harder in areas where the Prohibition movement was the strongest. Those areas would hold the most Anti-Prohibtion groups and people as well, it was reasoned.

States also established laws against alcohol and for Prohibition. The laws included the import or export of alcohol. Even after Prohibition ended some states passed laws that prevented the sale and manufacture of alcohol within their borders.

However, all states overturned Prohibition laws by 1966. When someone was found at fault for Prohibition, the illegal alcohol was seized and brought into court as evidence. Some law enforcement agents used wiretapping to eavesdrop on the conversations of suspected criminals. Though this was improper evidence obtained through wiretapping, it was still evidence. However, should this evidence be allowed to be used in court? This was the debate that the judge found himself having in Olmstead v. United States.

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How did Al Capone and gang violence affect crime during Prohibition?

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How did Al Capone and gang violence affect crime during Prohibition?

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Al Capone was a big layer in Prohibition. Al Capone smuggled and sold millions and millions of gallons of alcohol during Prohibition. However, he was arrested for tax evasion, stopping his alcohol dealings.

This all started when Al Capone moved to Chicago and assembled a gang to make loads of money bootlegging. They refused to stop drinking alcohol until they made a fortune. Al Capone took over many distilleries and breweries soon after Prohibition was established, in order to run his crime center. He used these places as a sort of basis for his organization. Al Capone even managed to run his criminal organization from jail after getting arrested for carrying concealed weapons.

Al Capone’s gang during his Prohibition dealings caused violence and sometimes murder. He felt jail was safer than the streets because he feared retaliation from the Valentine’s Day massacre. Al Capone also made some of his money not from his illegal alcohol business. He used his gang to execute a method where gangsters would infiltrate legitimate businesses and steal money from the workers. Or confiscate some of their monthly dues. This method of crime was particularly hard to figure out. The criminals would have a good excuse that they are in a working job and, therefore are making money. Nobody knew who was who. Since Al Capone had alternate money-making methods he was able to fund his illegal Prohibition organization and still be filthy rich.

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As time went on Prohibition became so unpopular that illegal alcohol smuggling and sale was commonplace for many. This eventually became a factor in the repeal of Prohibition. Pressure in the stock market crash during the Great Depression caused Prohibition to be rethought. There were bigger issues to attend to at the current time.

The violence increased as a result of illegal alcohol being smuggled or sold. On top of that, the Government lost an estimated $300 million in combat, and $11 billion lost revenue from alcohol sales and tariffs. At this point in time, some became weary of the crime committed in direct disobedience of Prohibition. People said that repealing the amendment would lower crime and violence, and also grant legal jobs that were badly needed.

Prohibition opened up a new criminal job in the black market called the “bootlegger”. Bootleggers illegally smuggled alcohol and made a ton of cash off of it. Al Capone was the most famous example of a successful bootlegger.

Another reason for the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment was that even if alcohol was not banned nationwide, state legislatures could still prevent its importation and transportation through laws. Production sales of bootleggers began to rise as the Great Depression hit. Their success was yet another excuse to repeal Prohibition as it was unbalancing the market.

Alcohol also stemmed back to colonial roots when American colonists believed it was safer to consume than potentially polluted water. This tradition carried on and became a reason for the repeal of Prohibition because everybody was practically addicted to alcohol. Some citizens died at the hands of Prohibition enforcers. Numerous shootouts with these men of the law led to death and violence. This was later used as a means to repeal Prohibition. Violating the law was a common crime. This crime led to prisons being operated at one hundred fifty percent capacity. This was yet another ground on which the 18th Amendment was repealed.

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How did/do Prohibition and other similar laws affect us today?

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How did/do Prohibition and other similar laws affect us today?

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After Prohibition was repealed you’d think that the government would steer clear of alcohol restrictions and limits. However, this is not the case, alcohol restrictions still exist today as public health and safety laws. Today, there are bans on alcohol supermarket sales in some states. In other states, they only allow certain alcohol like wine and beer. State laws also restrict the number of liquor stores in one area. In some U.S. states the government controls alcohol sales in some form. These states are called, “alcohol control states”. The laws also mention where and what you can consume in the state. There is another Prohibition law that regulates the transport of alcohol in and out of the state. Some state citizens are not allowed to order any type of alcohol. The law also regulates the direct shipping of alcohol.

There is a similar law that prohibits producers from distributing their alcoholic products. Even if that producer plans to distribute the product to a local retailer. However, this law does not prevent the producer from using a wholesaler. Some businesses go out of business because they fail to find a wholesaler, essentially locking them out of the alcohol market.

There are a number of counties in the U.S. that still implement Prohibition although the law has been repealed in all states. Some states contain laws that are very specific about the rules of when and where citizens are allowed to consume alcohol but don’t prohibit its consumption. In a few states, there are some very peculiar regulations. For example, in Virginia, there are restrictions on advertising and alcoholic offers at restaurants like a 2 for 1 special, and alcohol is not allowed to be served between the times 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Temperance seems like a very favorable law to the population as a whole if it meant that you were given a choice on whether to consume alcohol or not. Instead of Prohibition meaning you must drink alcohol responsibly, it meant a total ban on all alcohol sales and manufacture.

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Prohibition was originally passed intending to better the well-being of the U.S. However, the law became so unpopular that it had to be repealed with a new amendment. The law was not popular because citizens were not given a choice. They were forced to stop drinking instead of limit or regulation. Since alcohol was so popular, the pushback was too much for the government to handle. During Prohibition, there was a rapid increase in crime. Most of the crimes committed were alcohol-related. In actuality the real reform wasn't Prohibition, it was the repeal of Prohibition.