The National Prohibition Act, or Volstead Act, prohibited alcohol from 1920 to 1933. The temperance movement promoted the negative effects of alcohol, but smuggling and corruption led to the repeal of the act. The prohibition movement continued after repeal, but modern organizations promote responsible drinking.
The National Prohibition Act, also known as the Volstead Act, was legislation passed by the United States Congress in 1919 along with the 18th amendment. From 1920 to 1933, the act prohibited any beverage with an alcohol content of more than 0.5 percent. In 1933, the 21st Amendment, along with the Blaine Act, repealed the 18th Amendment, giving states the power to monitor the entry of alcohol into their borders and to legalize beverages over 3.2% ABV .
Temperance movement
Toward the end of the Civil War, the temperance movement began to gain momentum in the U.S. Contemporary alcohol literature exacerbated its effects. Children were reportedly told stories of how a drunkard exploded when a match was struck, and in schools, a brain might be placed in a jar of alcohol so students could watch the brain transform. into a gray mass and thus understand the negative effects of alcohol. From the pulpits, religious leaders often preached about the diseases that could result from alcohol consumption, including jaundice and tremors. Women’s groups were particularly active in promoting Prohibition, because they felt alcohol was disrupting the home.
Through a publication called The Temperance Education Quarterly, writers have been teaching people about the effects of alcohol, supposedly based on science. They supported the theory that human internal combustion could result from alcohol consumption. In addition, temperance writers described the production of alcohol and its effects on the human body in ways that made the substance seem disgusting and intimidating about the consequences of consumption.
Smugglers and corruption
After the passage of the National Prohibition Act, an illegal smuggling network began to take hold. Al Capone was one of the people who profited the most from this period, earning millions of United States Dollars (USD) from transporting liquor while the average industrial worker made about $1,000 USD annually. People who couldn’t afford real liquor had to resort to rubbing alcohol, which had some serious side effects, including Jake’s foot, a condition that causes paralysis of the hands and feet. Despite these illnesses and even some deaths, prohibitionists, particularly those of the Anti-Salonist League, discouraged the government from preventing trade in such a dangerous substance. On moral grounds, they believed that people who drank alcohol deserved such consequences.
Corruption was also rampant among public officials, because the illegal alcohol trade was extremely lucrative. Soon, due to the ineffectiveness of Prohibition, many people began supporting the repeal of the National Prohibition Act, including some of its staunchest supporters, such as John D. Rockefeller. In a letter to the New York Times, Rockefeller wrote that although he had hoped that Prohibition would improve society’s morals, he seemed to have made them worse. Many other people shared Rockefeller’s sentiment that the negative effects of Prohibition outweighed his benefits. By a vote of 74 percent to 26 percent, the country voted for the 21st amendment in 1933.
After Prohibition
Even after the repeal of the National Prohibition Act, the prohibition movement continued, gaining momentum as World War II began. Supporters wanted to remove alcohol from Army bases, but it was concluded that allowing alcohol on bases contributes to the safety of drinkers. The growing attitude towards alcohol was that its consumption had to be legal to be controlled. Modern organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) serve to remind the public of the consequences that can result from irresponsible drinking.
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