Repealing National Prohibition in the USA - Term Paper Example

However, this was not the first time that alcohol was under prohibition in America. The state of Maine was the first state in America to prohibit alcohol; this was far back in the 1850s3. The law made it illegal to possess, manufacture, distribute, consume, advertise, give, or remove alcohol or alcohol-based recipes from a residence or business premise4. The main group that facilitated the implementation of the prohibition was the Anti Saloon League (ASL), a powerful organization that had the support of a majority of the members of the Congress5.

People who formulated the law thought that the law would help in reducing the vices in the society, which were associated with alcohol; however, the law elicited widespread debate on the subject. Among the people who were actively involved in the debate were the women who formed two opposing groups. One of the groups, women Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), advocated for the prohibition whereas another group, the Women Organization for National Prohibition Repeal (WONPR), was against the prohibition6.

The main reason that led to the formation of organizations, which were against the prohibition, was that prohibition had led to a significant increase in crime. In addition, prohibition turned people who were previously law-abiding citizens to become criminals7. In addition, prohibition threatened to lead to the moral disintegration of the American society as the people who were supposed to enforce the law were under implication several times in corruption scandals8. Apart from the effects, the prohibition had on the crime rates it also negatively affected several sectors of the economy, which used to provide the livelihoods of millions of America either directly or indirectly.

One of the sectors under great impact was the wine industry9. Therefore, for the successful implementation, the government should have first tries to build a consensus and evaluate the effects of the prohibition instead of forcing it down on people10. Annotated Bibliography Behr, Edward. Prohibition: thirteen years that changed America. NY: Arcade Publishing, Inc. 1996. The book offers a comprehensive study of the prohibition of alcohol. It tries to devise reasons that may have brought about certain people to advocate for prohibition strongly.

Throughout the book, the author uses temperance to explain why a certain group of people, notably, the Anti-Saloon League (ASL), successfully used temperance to show why alcohol should confront prohibition. In the book, the author tries to analyze the propaganda spread by the ASL to impose fines on certain alcohol manufacturers. The ASL sometimes played the racial cards and tried to capture the American’s hatred towards the Germans to help in the advancement of its goals of imposing prohibition.

The author develops the story by showing how “the good creature of God,” (referring to alcohol) has been an integral part of America. The author even states that the founding president of America, George Washington used to spend huge sums of money on alcohol. By considering these various prominent parties, which were involved and affected, the author is able to paint a more vivid picture of this era.