Ryan Kuhn

Professor Carty
English 2
10/29/14
Influence of The Failed Amendment

Its January 15th, 1920, and there is an unsettled feel in the air. A blend of celebration and
doom stirs among thousands as the crowd drunkenly awaits the clock to strike midnight. As the
new day rises, so does a new law. January 16th, 1920, the eighteenth amendment to the United
States Constitution came into play, banning all alcohol for manufacture, sale and transportation
in America. This time period is known as Prohibition, and became one of the most influential
laws ever imposed on the American people.
Much like any drastic change made to a system in which people felt comfortable in, two
sides of the argument formed. There is the party that agrees and the party that rebels. A number
of societies were organized as part of a new Temperance movement which attempted to dissuade
people from becoming intoxicated. The Anti-Saloon League was a non-partisan organization that
focused on the single issue of prohibition. The League had branches across the United States to
work with churches in arranging resources for the prohibition fight (OSU dept. of Hist.). At first,
these organizations pushed moderation, but after several decades, the movement's focus changed
to complete prohibition of alcohol consumption, leading to prohibition (Jennifer Rosenburg). It
was the Temperance movement who blamed alcohol for most of the flaws in society. Many

women were drawn to such an organization because they had personally experienced a negative
connotation between their husbands and alcohol consumption. Most women involved in this
movement saw saloons as a place of great evil. If you were a supporter of eliminating such evil,
you stood hand in hand with members of the minority opinion. In 1913, a convention was held in
Columbus, Ohio, the League announced its campaign to achieve national prohibition through a
constitutional amendment.
This was a time in which the average American broke the law. Prohibition, and human
nature, influenced the public to search for loop holes in the law. The 18th Amendment did not
mention the actual drinking of alcohol. Since Prohibition went into effect a full year after the
18th Amendment's ratification, many people bought cases of then-legal alcohol and stored them
for personal use. The Volstead Act was used to define the process and procedures for banning
alcoholic beverages, as well as their production and distribution. The Volstead Act allowed
alcohol consumption if it was prescribed by a doctor. Physicians could prescribe distilled spirits,
usually whiskey or brandy, on government prescription forms. The government was even willing
to allow the limited production of whiskey and its distribution when stocks were low (OSU dept.
of Hist.). Much like the states where marijuana is legal for medical use today, prescriptions were
handed out with ease. As the reserve cases dwindled, and the prescriptions were not enough, the
public demand for alcohol continued to rise.
What do most people think of when the topic of prohibition is brought up? Organized
crime. Due to an overwhelming demand for liquor and the men willing to fulfill that public
desire, an entire black market had been given life, and it is here where the utmost corruption
began. City officials who lived their lives above the law entered into the newly emerged game of

illegal liquor. These men contributed monetary exchange, organization and safety for notorious
gangsters such as Al Capone from Chicago and others alike to thrive.
Under the cover of darkness, bootleggers transported mass amount of spirituous liquor
which fueled Secret underground saloons called Speakeasies. First used in the early 19th century
to describe an old English smugglers den, the Speak Softly Shop came to define a place where
patrons were required to keep their voices down to avoid detection. While the word became re
popularized during American prohibition, it was just one of many descriptions used to describe a
prohibition bar. Black neighborhoods such as New Yorks Harlem, referred to them as Hooch
Joints, Buffet Flats or Beer Flats. The name Blind Tiger, Blind Bull or Blind Pig also became
common. While a little less obvious than the other name, Blind Pig can be referenced back to a
19th century tavern in the state of Maine where a proprietor sold patrons tickets to view a blind
pig he kept in the back room. Along with every admission, every customer was treated with a
free glass of rum (The Drinking Cup). These speakeasies became a popular means for people to
illegally drink under the close watch of gangsters and corrupt officials. The amount of money
that flowed from the speakeasies to the pockets of criminals was remarkable. All of this profit
led the criminals to an easy decision to remain in their newly found career of crime. The lifestyle
of the gangsters was perceived to be tremendously glamourous and appealing to the lower class
young men as a way to gain the social status that they desired so greatly. The best relation
between this concept in the 1920s and our current time is the influence of modern hip-hop
today. Most current popular rap songs dive into the gang and crime affiliated lifestyles of the
artist as they soar from rags to riches. This life style is professed to be glamourous in the same
way it was with the prohibition gangsters and is a concept that will exist among the youth of the
less fortunate for as long as humanity survives.

With the new law came a new federal law enforcement called prohibition agents. These
specialty officers were in charge of eliminating the transportation of Alcohol as well as breaking
up speakeasies. Although they had countless successes, it seems that the criminals maintained
one step ahead. The agents were outnumbered and had to come to terms with surrendering their
desired complete control, they could only do so much. For an extended period of time, the battle
between the criminals and the federal agents raged on. It became apparent that the United States
was living under the law of the law breakers.
Fiorella H. LaGuardia was a prominent New York City politician who served several
terms in the House of Representatives. An outspoken critic of prohibition, he testified to the
policy's failure (OSU Dept. of Hist.). LaGuardia stated that there may not be as much liquor in
quantity consumed to-day as there was before prohibition, but there is just as much alcohol. At
least 1,000,000 quarts of liquor is consumed each day in the United States. Such an enormous
traffic in liquor could not be carried on without the knowledge, if not the connivance of the
officials entrusted with the enforcement of the law. Eventually, congress realized the severity of
the situation at hand and decided to vote on the 21st amendment which appealed the 18th
amendment. The time period of prohibition, and the failure of it, taught Americans a valuable
lesson in law making and law enforcement. Lessons learned from the time period of prohibition
will carry on for an eternity.

The influence that prohibition had on the United States was wide spread. In almost every
aspect of the average American lifestyle, the effects of prohibition were present. Every American
felt the ups and downs of the new law and I believe it helped humans evolve as individuals.
Being in such a situation tests the morals and ideals of everyone involved. Ideally, the

individuals who experienced this time will pass on their knowledge gained to their proceeding
generations. America as a whole has advanced tremendously by the prohibition of alcohol. Any
society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose
both Ben Franklin. The structure of the United States of America, built by our founding
fathers, is a never ending work in progress. The ability for the people to speak against a law
imposed on them by the government is the foreground purpose for creating our constitution in
the first place. The overall effects that prohibition had on this country, and its end result, should
serve as a reminder to exercise our freedom and rights as citizens of the greatest country on
Earth.