Why was prohibition introudced in 1919?
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sonia7861 (student)
Why was prohibition introduced in 1919? Prohibition was the banning of alcoholic drinks being sold in America. Prohibition was successful due to the change in society as.However, a key factor as to why it was introduced at this specific time was because of the organisations that supported the banning of alcohol, and how all of a sudden became a lot more popular after 1917. Groups such as the WCTU and the Anti-Saloon League had campaigned for the ban of alcohol for several years, and had an impact on the public; changing many people’s views on both selling, and drinking alcohol in general. Firstly, mass immigration in the 1890’s increased public support for the Temperance movement; which supported Prohibition 100%. Although there some immigrants such as the Catholic immigrants who
believed it was socially acceptable to drink, there were many groups that had been founded who were for prohibition and therefore they were a lot more powerful than the Catholics alone, with their views a lot more widespread. Especially Protestants were very much against the consumption of alcohol. The Temperance movement gained strong support from women activists, who stood up for themselves because in the society which they have lived it has always been biased towards males and their opinions, rarely taking into consideration a women’s view. The views of the public were dived you were labelled a ‘Wet’ - ...
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believed it was socially acceptable to drink, there were many groups that had been founded who were for prohibition and therefore they were a lot more powerful than the Catholics alone, with their views a lot more widespread. Especially Protestants were very much against the consumption of alcohol. The Temperance movement gained strong support from women activists, who stood up for themselves because in the society which they have lived it has always been biased towards males and their opinions, rarely taking into consideration a women’s view. The views of the public were dived you were labelled a ‘Wet’ - opposed to the ban of alcohol or a ‘Dry’- believing that a ban was the best thing for America at the time. The main parties that became caught up in the issues to do with Prohibition included the Prohibition Party, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the Anti-Saloon League. The Anti-Saloon League, was the most effective organisation. Wayne Wheeler, an aggressive, influential man led the organisation, as well as becoming very popular with the women in the WCTU. Wheeler was noticed for listening to what the women had to say. Moreover, Wheeler found support from both the Democrats as well as the Republicans, giving him a major advantage, despite being known as a Republican himself. Unlike many Prohibition supporters, who attempted to gain support through the Prohibition Party.Although the Anti-Saloon League contributed incredibly to banning alcohol in the USA, the WCTU and their peculiar leader; Carrie Nation also played a huge role in the movement. She was nicknamed the ‘Kansas Bar Room Smasher’ and seen as the key figure against the ‘demon drink.’ however she frequently told the story of her husband being an alcoholic to make people sympathise with what she stood for, and to show then the tragic effects of alcohol. Her trademark was her with an axe, which she used to smash up bars with. This, as well as the fact you could buy replicas of this axe, shows how much people respected her, but also, perhaps how much they feared her. Furthermore, Prohibition suddenly moved into the spotlight after production levels had dropped significantly after the ww1. In order for these to be improved again, it was decided it was time for everybody to contribute fully in their jobs, and not come into work late, drunk, hung-over, or to not come in at all. hopefully this meant that productivity would rise, and the USA’s industry had the potential to improve. This was evident by figures publicised in the late 1920’s; the quantity of alcoholic drinks sold in the 1920’s has decreased by a third, as well as alcohol consumption also reducing by the same amount. in conclusion, the powerful organisations campaigning for the ban on alcoholic drinks are largely to blame for the introduction of Prohibition through the Volstead Act in 1919. Key personnel’s within these organisations were the main influences on the public, and the falling productivity after the First World War only contributed to their effort to ban alcoholic drinks in America. However, the Volstead Act was the start of the struggle to stop the selling of alcoholic drinks in the USA.
