What Is Prohibition In The 1920's

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Prohibition was a time in which the United States of America declared the manufacture,sale, or transportation of alcohol within the United States illegal. The 18th amendment, or the prohibition of alcohol, was officially enacted on Jan.29, 1920. However, only 13 years after this amendment was added, the government saw the futility in it and decided to add the 21st amendment, which repealed the 18th amendment, allowing the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. During that thirteen year span of the prohibition of alcohol, prohibition was never actually enforced. This was partially due to the fact that a lot of the police force could be paid off and more and more speakeasies were opening up every day. The United States was unable to enforce prohibition due to the high number of…show more content…
Corruption: When the prohibition of alcohol was passed in 1920, it created many problems for America. One of the biggest problems America had during that time was law enforcement. Approximately 65% of Law enforcement were corrupt during the 1920’s.1 Due to police officers low salaries,of less than $4,000 a year,it was easy for them to be paid off. Speakeasy owners would pay cops look the other way when it came to what drinks they served at their bars. Typically, an owner of a speakeasy would have pay a law enforcement officer $50- $75 to turn a blind eye. As part of the deal, the corrupt cop would warn the owners of any upcoming raids on the speakeasy, so when the raid happened nothing illegal would be occurring. Police officers would also help smuggle in Alcohol into the United States. They would allowing cruise ships, filled with alcohol from other countries, to enter the country.3 The Police would also escort trucks containing liquor and make
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