3rd period Time Prohibition

● The harms prohibition- group editorial ● Above the law by Andres Estrada ● Problems with prohibition by Rabi Alaya ●

The Harms of Prohibition How has Prohibition helped or harmed America?

Do you think prohibition has helped or harmed America? We as a group agree that prohibition has definitely harmed America. It fueled the rise of organized crime, prohibition didn’t succeed at ending the use of alcohol, and Americans drank more.

Drinking is your own personal choice, the government shouldn’t control whether you can drink or not. An increasing number of citizens simply refuse to uphold the law. Prohibition also restricts our freedom, an attempt by the federal government to control everything.

Prohibition fueled the rise of organized crime. The United States experienced a massive increase in crime since prohibition. Racketeers and gangsters competed for business that prohibition created, spawning a new wave of violence. Gangs made huge profits on Bootlegging- the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol, thanks to prohibition. Chicago suffered up to 400 gang murders per year since the law was passed. And it lead to an increase in illegal activity by law-abiding citizens.

Prohibition is doing more harm than good. It should be repealed in order for our country to start moving in the right directions.

Prohibition didn’t succeed at ending the use of alcohol. In New York, Speakeasies- illicit liquor store or nightclub, boomed since prohibition, from 5,000 to 30,000 in just 5 years. The law enforcement couldn’t stop people from finding their own ways to get alcohol. In fact, the percentage of whiskey drinkers actually increased since prohibition.

Prohibition created unwillingness to condone law.

Above: Men and women are drinking despite of prohibition.

Above the Law Prohibition isn’t stopping Americans from drinking alcohol By: Andres Estrada

By now you are fully aware of the Prohibition law. Do you miss your nightly drink with dinner? Perhaps you miss sharing a cocktail with your neighbors. You are not alone. Millions of Americans are finding a way to bypass the law. Prohibition of alcohol was to a waste of time and did not succeed in ending the use of alcohol.

Bootlegging by gangsters and mobsters prevented Prohibition from successfully ending the use of alcohol. Bootlegging is when gangsters bought and sold alcohol illegally.

Most alcohol came from other countries surrounding the United States. Rumrunners helped the gangsters get the alcohol into the United States. Once gangsters had the alcohol in their possession, they would sell it to speakeasies.

Another reason the use of alcohol did not end with Prohibition was because of speakeasies. Speakeasies opened after the Prohibition law was passed. Most speakeasies were located in big cities and were somewhat hidden from plain sight. Speakeasies provided illegal alcoholic beverages to the public.

Anybody could go to a speakeasy. Even local police officers and politicians were known to visit local speakeasies.

From inside a speakeasy: Men and Women enjoying illegal alcoholic beverages.

Prohibition did not end the use of alcohol because Americans tried to make their alcohol or smuggle it from foreign countries. The home brews Americans were cooking up was known as “bathtub gin.� Most supplies to make bathtub gin were other stolen or obtained in other immoral ways. Bathtub gin tasted terrible and had negative health effects. To mask to the taste of the liquor, Americans added other ingredients to wash down their drink.

Prohibition was meant to do more good than what is actually did. Prohibition did not succeed in ending the use of alcohol. If anything, Prohibition made more Americans want to illegally use alcohol. If anything, Prohibition made good Americans want to do bad things.

More Crime because of Prohibtion Prohibition Fueling The Rise of organized Crimes

By : Ahmir Kouangothonh .

Yes, America’s thirst for alcohol continuing despite the law, organized crimes did grow.

On February 14, 1929, “Scarface” gang

members raided the headquarters of Chicago's Morgan

The United States experienced a massive

gang by dressing up as police men. It became known as

increase in crimes since they made alcohol illegal.

the Saints Valentine's Day Massacre, it was a bloodbath.

Racketeers (a person who engages in dishonest and

Herbert Hoover called this “an experiment noble in

fraudulent business dealings) and gangsters (a criminal

purpose”.

who is a member of a gang) competed for businesses, spawning a wave of violence across the nation.

Al Capone was an American gangster who attained fame during the Prohibition era as the The “Wets” believed that the prohibition led to an

co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit (An

increase of illegal activity, They wanted the 18th

Italian-American organized crime in Chicago, Illinois). He

amendment to be repealed (abolish). People who were

had trust in Johnny Torrio was the head of Chicago's

on the “wet” side including many congressmen and

crime world. Johnny brought all the criminals in Chicago

people living in the city.

together into the 1’st organized gangs. By 1926 Al Capone had taken over Torrio's gang, Capone had more than 700 men, controlled more than 10,000 speakeasies

The “Drys” believed that stopping people from drinking would result in a healthier society.

They also saw prohibition as a way of taming city life. Traditionalist and Progressive reformers thought banning alcohol was a “Great Victory”.

(a secret bar where they sold stuff while they were illegal), and saw bootleggers oversea (a boat that transported alcohol liquor illegally). All of this ended on Saints Valentine's Day (Feb. 14, 1929).

Ahmir’s creative product

Problems with Prohibition Should the US Repeal Prohibition?

By: Rabi Alaya

Do you think the United States should repeal prohibition? Prohibition has it’s advantages and disadvantages, but after you look into it a little, the answer is clear. The US should repeal prohibition, it simply doesn’t work, it creates unwillingness to condone lawlessness, and prohibition is fueling the rise of organized crime.

Prohibition restricts our freedom. It’s an attempt by the government to control everything, to legislate morality. It is such a dumb idea that most people aren’t willing to contempt the law.

Law-abiding citizens are breaking the law.

Remember the last time you were told not to do something? You did the exact opposite. It is human nature to do something you are specifically told not to. Drinking is your own personal choice, the government shouldn’t control whether you can drink or not. An increasing number of citizens simply refuse to uphold the law.

Prohibition simply doesn’t work. The task is simply unmanageable, and the government is trying to force the unforeseeable. There just aren’t enough federal agents and money put in to enforce it.

Prohibition is also creating corruption among government officials. Federal agents only earn $2,300 a year, they can’t resist the temptation of the wealth of organized crime. The number of men hired to prevent illegal bootlegging was inadequate, gangs are stronger than the law enforcement. In fact, the number of whiskey drinkers increased since prohibition was passed.

Prohibition is fueling the rise of organized crime. It creates a multibillion dollar industry with no tax, and no control. The profit made by producing alcohol resulted in the development of gangs of criminals. Gangs made huge profits on Bootlegging- the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol, thanks to prohibition. Prohibition also is leading to an increase in illegal activity by law-abiding citizens. Chicago alone suffered up to 400 gang murders a year since prohibition.

By now, many Americans believe prohibition is doing more harm than good.

Prohibition should be repealed in order to keep our country moving in the right direction.

Below: Men holding signs protesting Prohibition. More Americans feel Prohibition should be repealed.

Crime and Prohibition Is Prohibition fueling the rise of organized crime ?

Yes, Because when it was put in place at first prohibition was working then after about a year Crime and Illegal activities grew and that gave power to gangs such as Al Capone and more.

People that supported prohibition thought that it would Combat every vice: Crime, Gambling, Prostitution and government corruption.

Henry Ford supported prohibition because he thought that his workers would make better cars because they would not come to work the next morning with a hangover and not be able to work was well as they can.

Once prohibition was put in place agents dumped existing stocks of liquor into sewers and some people stopped drinking because liquor became scarce. Doctors also started seeing less alcohol related illnesses.

Also once it was put in place it did not do was it was set out to do because instead of working the way it was supposed to, it gave rise to crime, illegal behavior and gave power to bootleggers. Most of the Crime that occurred were gang related because gangs

wanted territory which meant more power and control.

For example during prohibition in Chicago there were about 400 deaths recorded per year that were gang related.

Bootleggers were people that transported and sold alcohol illegally. Prohibition also gave rise to illegal behavior, for example Speakeasies boomed especially in New York because by 1922 there were about 5,000 speakeasies and then by 1927 there were about 30,000. Speakeasies were illicit liquor store or nightclub.