Causes Of Prohibition

1116 Words5 Pages
Prohibition There were many causes of prohibition. There was a certain kind of classdicrimination, as the people who were affected by this the most were the poor working class, who couldn't afford the hard liquor that would keep for a long time. Immigrants were associated with being morally corrupt, and who were generally in favor of abolishing prohibition. Prohibition was a way for America to get back to its Anglo-Saxon roots, which had made it great. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson signed the Sheppard Act, which led the way for more prohibition reform. He was originally torn on whether or not to sign the bill, but in the end decided to sign it, because if he vetoed it, it would split the party at a cruel time, the US joined WW1 in 1917. Also there…show more content…
The 16th Amendment (The Federal Income tax), enacted in 1913, replaced alcohol taxes for the federal government. Because the government was no longer making money off the alcohol industry, the prohibition movement was able to argue that they were of no use to the federal government. The driving force of the Prohibition movement was various religious organizations, who believed that less alcohol consumption would decrease the amount of crime, spouse abuse, and raise the overall amount amount of piety in America. Most women supported Prohibition as it was believed to prevent abuse at home and maintain a generally civilized lifestyle. The Prohibition and women's suffrage movements created an alliance. One of the reason women's Suffrage was successful, was because grouple like the Klu Klux Klan believed that women would vote for Prohibition i they…show more content…
From a governmental standpoint, Prohibition proved prohibitively expensive, Prohibition eliminated a valuable source of tax revenue and dramatically increased government spending in numerous areas, including jail costs. Government spending ballooned to cover increased enforcement needs. For instance, in the 1920s, the annual budget of the Bureau of Prohibition increased from $4.4 million to $13 million. In addition, the Coast Guard spent on an average of over $13 million per year on Prohibition- related efforts. These amounts are indicative of the high costs that state and local governments shouldered. From that standpoint of American consumers, annual spending on alcohol rose compared to pre-Prohibition times. For instance, the price of beer increased more then 700 percent, brandy cost rose by 433 percent, and spirit prices increased by 270 percent, making spirits a new favorite among consumers because they were the most affordable alcohol. In addition, as previously stated, the money spent on high-priced black market alcohol landed in the pockets of gangsters, In effect, Prohibition served to funnel money into the underground. This redistribution of wealth was a perverse one as the government got poorer, criminals got richer, and consumers spent more on alcohol. Supporters of Prohibition. Had an entirely different vision of the impact this law would have on consumerism. Prohibitionists thought that
Open Document