The Prohibition Agents were appointed because they though to have ‘the expert technical knowledge and the diligence to supervise.. To outwit the craftiest devices of smugglers..Resist corruption’ Of course, they didn’t as one American writer said, that if anyone believed that one person could do all this work to stop Prohibition then those people ‘would be ready to believe also in Santa Claus, perpetual motion and pixies’
It was also very difficult to convict people and deal effectively with criminals. This was because of the little co-operation amongst the different state police departments, as the law was that after a crime had been committed, the main objective of the criminal was to travel to a neighbouring state. Many criminals therefore got little punishment.
Enforcing a law that was impossible to keep seemed useless. Even the people backing the law up were defying it. Prohibition seemed pointless for as no one was keeping to it. But in other cases, Prohibition was a good thing, especially for making money, but not for its moral reasons.
Gangsters, organized crime, Racketeers and criminal gangs slowly took control of America throughout the time of Prohibition. They shamelessly demoralized the law to pieces, taking any chance to bring in the money. They gained popularity of the public and emitted a ‘Heroes’ image.
The gangsters made fortunes out of Prohibition, They had it, and the people wanted it. They charged high prices and ran the outfits. They were making hundreds of millions every year. One of more notorious gangsters was Al Capone. He was the overall image of the gangster world, the man who made his millions through alcohol, bribery, deceit and murder. He was extremely famous, and even though everyone knew what he did .He was impossible to convict because of his increasing power and influence over the police. He used bribes to get what he wanted with them, which shows how corrupt the police force was, and why Prohibition was such a failure, as even the ‘good guys’ did not abide to the law.
Breaking the law of Prohibition was more acceptable to the public as it was considered ‘cleaner’ than other crimes. People seemed to ignore how deadly the criminal world was, and how many deaths were occurring because of it.
The biggest shake-up of the criminal world was the St Valentines Day Massacre.
This was a major turning point for Prohibition, as it showed the world how low the gangsters had stooped to make money.
7 men of a rival gang to Al Capone were viscously gunned down in a horrific massacre. The next day, the Americans saw the gangsters in a new light. Still, the massacre was only a reminder of the rising amount of violence and trouble heading for America.
In 1929, after the shocking events at the St Valentines Day Massacre, America was now facing some serious issues like the sudden declining, economic change. People began to sell shares rapidly in the stock market, and by October 1929, Wall Street crashed, which meant economic failure and disaster for all.
This was the end of the prosperous USA as they knew it. The Americans had been taken away of the one thing that had helped them become successful-confidence.
This was, again a huge turning point for American History, and this became a short-term reason why Prohibition failed, as now Congress had to re-assess exactly what to do about the current situation. If they now ended Prohibition, they could tax liquor and start making money again. Prohibition had been going on for 10 years, and from the evidence, it had not been a success.
Congress had believed that Prohibition was the reason for the economic boom of the 1920’s, and had wanted to keep it, so that the economy would be as powerful as before - but with the Wall Street Crash’s occurrence, Prohibition had not been the reason for America’s ‘boom’, so now there was no longer any reason to keep Prohibition, the argument had been lost.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe that Prohibition failed due to the lack of popularity of the law, and the terrible crime and murders that occurred, showed America how Prohibition had spiarlled out of control.
Prohibition was initially created for moral reasons, but it attracted a lot of negative matters and unintended grounds.
Alcohol is popular; there is no doubting that, and America showed that by stooping to the levels that it did to get it.
Illegal bars sold drink throughout the many that were set up. In New York there was 100, 000. Gangsters set up their rackets, pulling out no stops in getting what they wanted, at any price. They forced people into doing deals, and if anyone crossed then, they would die a violent death. They were exceedingly greedy when it came to money, and broke all crimes to get it.
People disrespected the law- Prohibition seemed like a joke. People took no notice of it. People still drank, People still sold alcohol, and people still imported it. Crime rates increased rapidly throughout the 20’s, and Congress and hoped that offences like drunkenness and disorderly conduct would stop. How could anyone enforce a law that barely anyone took notice of? These reasons were long-term, but no action was really taken until The Wall Street Crash and The St Valentines day Massacre had happened.
I also believe that it is not just these reasons why Prohibition failed, but there is a more subconscious reason for it. America has always advertised itself as ‘The land of the free’ and has a relaxed image surrounding it. America has always been a democratic state, and gave the people freedom of speech. I believe that such a restricting law such as Prohibition gave Americans less pride and less hope in their country. Prohibition was meant to give the country a better image, but it gave America a bad image.
Prohibition was also a disaster due to the grounds it was built on. Prohibition was meant for moral reasons, when really it was a way of ‘keeping the Negro in place’ America was still a very racist country at the time, and Prohibition would deny blacks another human right. As the law was not fair, the arguments for keeping the law fell through. Congress believed that Prohibition was the reason for the country’s economy was so strong, but when the Wall Street Crash occurred, it was obvious that Prohibition was not the magic formula for success.
Overall, I think that Prohibition failed mainly due to the fact that it was extremely unpopular law, and it was impossible to enforce. The law didn’t work: The gangsters had too much of an influence over the police, and the law did not state it was illegal to drink alcohol. Prohibition denied people the right to freedom of speech or choice, which Americans expect and are accustomed to.
By Ashley Hovell 10yk
