Pressure groups carried large action towards prohibition, two major groups such as the anti-saloon group and the Women Christian temperance union highlighted key problems with alcohol and mainly focused on the problems it caused for families in particular and how drinking was against God ‘work of the devil’, There views and ideas channelled through to people in America and it became a large action to ban alcohol throughout America. They made people realise that problems with society were being caused by alcohol and put other reasons aside. In my opinion I think they blamed alcohol for too many things going wrong in America. People today may argue they protested too far and in some cases went over the top while others think it was a good idea they did in the first place setup a group like this. Source B of the Article on prohibition shows what anti-saloon league protested for which was awakening Americans to how alcohol was causing family and social problems. The source shows a cartoon of a man sitting in a ‘saloon’ where the groups name comes from, it shows him spending money on alcohol while his family sits at home with nothing to eat. The poster shows the contrasts of both scenes of a bar and at a family home, where men are deceived into enjoying themselves and spending money at a bar where it seems to them like a paradise provided by the devil represented as the bartender compared to their home as at the same time family members are suffering as an outcome of what the father has done and are impacted the most of anybody where it is more like a hell hole. The pressure groups propaganda and media shows and supports how alcohol was a big problem in American in the end of the eighteenth century and early 90s and it justifies my claim that prohibition was a good idea from the beginning. In my opinion I feel the pressure groups against prohibition makes my view stronger because they quote many problems with alcohol in this time period. However, I feel that the pressure group thought and blamed too many things on prohibition and that they do not have any evidence to back their points up and it is truly biased and in their opinion and views were only based upon what they singly thought and not all over USA.
Crime rate was another big reason for America prohibiting alcohol in the 19th century. Crime rates were on the increase and it was a big problem, people blamed this on the abuse of alcohol mainly which caused anti-social behaviour, and people thought that it was the root of the devil taking over a human’s body. This Source describes prison population increasing up to the point of 1919 when 75% of states Of America prohibited alcohol. This shows that presidents and the government were coming under pressure to tackle this problem crime rate which was affecting American lives every single day. However, after 1919 prison population increased to a much higher point showing prohibition had no impact on crime rates but small crimes such as public swearing decreased over 50% as an outcome of prohibition. This raises the question of whether or not prohibition was worth it having the opposite affect of what people were hoping for. This makes me doubt that it had a good effect. Linking to the question, prohibition was necessary because people were getting worried overall about crime rates and it thought it would have a good effect.
America was turning in terms of social reasons changing. Immigration was first starting and Americans wanted to protect their nationality against other countries in some kind of way and this was a reason for prohibition because with it legal alcohol sale would stand to a still and people knew most brewers originated from Germany so they felt some kind of relief that money was not being given to the Germans and more money would be spent on products from America and people would spend therefore money into Americas economy. Other social problems were family relations which were being broken by alcohol which linked in with too much money being spent on alcohol. This source shows how alcohol was in some ways killing people and ending life which is shown in this cartoon where alcohol represented as an old man is going to kill another man. This makes my argument of prohibition being a good idea.
All of these subjects of why prohibition was introducted was shown to be correct and the national mood shifted from once loving alcohol to banning it. Many votes were won in rural areas because politicians promised to back up prohibition, which helped those politicians to win the election. The promise of alcohol ban to the people gave people relief and they were convinced that this would lead to America as a country and all of its members improving. Alcohol ban was a heard message and even by celebrities like John D. Rockfeller who donated seventy five thousand dollars each year to pressure groups on alcohol. This shows important people such as celebrities would put money and other benifits away for a just cause which they found was the ban of alcohol
In conclusion, I do still believe prohibition was a good idea and was not a disaster waiting to happen but instead a good idea. I feel these subsection arguements have made my arguement stronger as a whole and i feel they justify that alcohol ban was a good idea. We know that prohibition failed and crime rates increased, but from looking at this from a presidents view makes it the only nonprobibale answer. I feel prohibition did some effect of american society which was a main problem with the consumption of alcohol and family life improved as a outcome even if it was replaced by increased crime rates and more disasterous problems continuing in the 1930s. Overall, prohibition was a good idea and it was going to succseed as an outcome of predictions carried out by the state. Cartoons from the period of time show both sides of my arguement which vary with indivual opinions and thoughts.
