Why Did Prohibition Last so Long Essay - 1595 Words

Why Did Prohibition Last So Long? Prohibition of Alcohol in America was introduced in 1920 with the 18th amendment of the constitution and was finally revoked in 1933. Prohibition was always considered a failure, due to the way it was policed, the fact the American people at the time liked to drink and the fact that alcohol was very easily accessible. Therefore the fact it lasted thirteen years, despite it being obvious within the first five that things were not working, seems incomprehensible. There are a number of factors which worked together to make prohibition last as long as it did. The most important being morale reasons behind introducing it at first, but the popularity of prohibition, the time it to repeal a law and the fact it†¦show more content†¦A further success that would have stopped congress from repealing the 18th amendment was that of crime rates. It is heavily publicized that organized crime went up considerably, and this was a potential reason to change the law, however violent crime did not increase despite what is assumed. There were far less arrests made during the time of prohibition for violent acts than there was before prohibition started. Despite the rise of organised crime there was always this type of crime before and after the prohibition period, so politicians argued that prohibition was not the main cause for the rise in gangsters and their participation in organised crime. This can mean that congress were happy with the reduced crime overall and saw no reason serious enough to do with crime to revoke the 18th amendment. Another reason that the US government decided against revoking the 18th amendment earlier than when they did was that prohibition was actually quite a popular amendment, in and of itself, amongst the people, the actual reason they didn’t always adhere or claim to not like it was due to the fact that it was poorly policed and the execution of trying to enforce the law was poorly done. This was highlighted in the Wickersham Commission. It was Herbert Hoover who established this commission and he found that people supported prohibition but found contempt amongShow MoreRelated Prohobition Essays1189 Words   |  5 PagesPROHIBITION In all probability, no one thing gave more character to the era known as the ‘Roaring 20s’, than what was called ‘the long dry spell’ (a.k.a. Prohibition). Prohibition was the result, of the longstanding efforts, by largely Protestant religious groups, who had preached temperance since the early colonial period. 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