Ben Dang, Albin Mathew, Baldwin Nweke, Frank Parsley

Thesis: The 18th Amendment created a tolerance for illegal behavior that induced a legacy of
crime and criminal leaders.

Primary Source:
"Carla Due on Prohibition." Carla Due on Prohibition. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
The prohibitionists wanted people to stop buying alcohol and start buying things like
dairy products, modern appliances, life insurance, savings, and education. Clara Due said that
the prohibition did not work in fact it made the kids more excited. That they wouldnt have
bothered with it had it not been illegal. It was really exciting doing something that you were not
supposed to do. She explained how almost everyone had a hidden stash of liquor somewhere.
Then she says that her husband and her didnt drink, but tolerated the others that did. She also
had knowledge of a neighbor that made liquor but never said anything about it. She thought that
the Prohibition was a huge waste and didn't work at all.

Mencken, H. L. "A Litany for Bibuli." Http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com. The Smart Set, n.d.
Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Mencken states the prohibition is making society much worse instead of helping it. He
gives numerous examples on how the law abiding citizen is now being sentenced to jail. He
talks about seniors recommending some of the bootleg alcohol made from all sorts of garbage.
He also mentions how presidential candidates in places such as New York as well as police
across the nation who would volunteer to show you a place where you can get a safe drink for
seven dollars. Mencken gives more examples such as the waiter illegally serving then begins to
horde it as the people drink it with voracity, as well as old friends in the Christian Religion who
try to deceive one with 6% denatured alcohol added to grape juice.

Nathan, George J., and H. L. Mencken. "Rptition Gnrale." Old Magazine Articles. The
Smart Set, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Both authors of this news article discusses the damage of prohibition and how many
upstanding citizens break the law. The article states that no civilized man will go dry because of
the prohibition, which means they are getting it illegally. The article also criticise the government
saying that it is tyrannical and stupid and people cant live under it without losing respect. They
say that no man can live under this government and carry on the enterprises of a free spirit.
The article also discusses how that the prohibition has caused illegal distribution across the
nation, which means that many individuals are disregarding the law and drinking alcohol
anyway.
Secondary Sources:
"18th and 21st Amendments." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Bootlegging which is the illegal manufacture and sale of liquor occurred on a wide scale
across the United States. A huge amount of the population opposed the prohibition and it was
also harder to enforce it in large cities due to the amount of people. It had a major effect on
crime and organized crime in the United States. The sale of alcohol went further underground
and eventually was controlled by the Mafia as well as other gangs. These gangs then
transformed themselves into huge criminal enterprises. They eventually started to bribe
politicians to look the other way. During the Great Depression some argued that the ban on
alcohol denied many people jobs.

Mintz, S., & McNeil, S. (2013)."Prohibition." Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
Prohibition caused a major increase in bootleggers which spanned all across the United
States. Enforcing it was impossible due to how widespread prohibition was. The federal
government never had more than 2,500 agents enforcing it. Many people made beer and wine

at home or had their doctor prescribe medicinal whiskey sold at drugstores. Prohibition also
fostered corruption and contempt for law and law enforcement among large segments of the
population. In rural areas moonshiners became heros. In chicago half of the police payroll was
from Al Capones organization. Organized crime filled the gap that was left by the legal alcohol
industry.

"Organized Crime and Prohibition." Organized Crime and Prohibition. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct.
2014.
The beginning of the Prohibition act came with a hope of a better future, a better
tomorrow. But as time elapsed, many soon realized that prohibition became more detrimental as
opposed to beneficial. Statistics shows that crime rate, the number of convicts, and federal
prison population all exceedingly increased well over 200%. The prohibition act gave rise to
organized crime and gave them another source of income. Since alcohol itself was banned, the
general public turned the gangsters who readily took on the bootlegging industry and supplied
them with liquor. The business of bootleg alcohol was highly profitable for all who participated
which often fueled the mafia and gang-wars. Bootlegging alcohol became a steady source of
income, the motive of profit caused an intense rivalry among gangs.This alone led to the deaths
of over four hundred gang related murders in Chicago alone.

Blocker, Jack S. "Did Prohibition Really Work? Alcohol Prohibition as a Public Health
Innovation." www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. PMC, 21 Oct. 2005. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
The common view that National Prohibition failed rests upon an historically
misconceived base. The successful campaign to enact National Prohibition was the fruit of a
century-long prohibition campaign, experience of which led prohibitionists to conclude that a
nationwide ban on alcohol was the most promising of the many strategies tried so far. A sharp
rise in consumption during the early 20th century seemed to confirm the bankruptcy of

alternative alcohol-control programs. The strict prohibition imposed by the Volstead Act,
however, represented a more impactful action than many Americans expected. But, National
Prohibition succeeded both in lowering consumption and in retaining political support until the
onset of the Great Depression altered voters priorities.
"National Prohibition of Alcohol in the U.S." National Prohibition of Alcohol in the U.S. N.p., n.d.
Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Prohibition or otherwise known as the noble experiment was a complete illusion.
Apparently the consequences ranged from unfortunate to disastrous and deadly,also causing
widespread disregard for the law. One week after the 18th amendment had been installed
people were already selling small portable stills throughout the country. In Californias grape
growers increased their acreage by 700% to keep up with the demand of grape juice, which was
used as a sort of building block for wine and other alcoholic drinks. There was apparently a
case where the mayor of New York sent winemaking instructions to his constituents, which is
one example out of many.
"Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure." Cato Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
The Noble Experiment was meant to reduce the tax burden as well as reduce crime,
however this was not the case. When Prohibition first took place alcohol consumption was at a
low, but over the years it grew more and more until it was higher than ever before. Crime
increased and eventually became organized, which was a result of the illegal production and
distribution of alcohol. Apparently crime became so bad that the court and prison systems were
almost at the breaking point and many public officials became corrupt. The prohibition also
cause caused increased government spending since there was no longer alcohol sold, which
meant no tax revenue.

"Prohibition of Alcohol during the Great Depression." Prohibition of Alcohol during the Great
Depression. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
During the prohibition alcohol was illegal, but that didnt stop people from making and
selling it. This ended up causing crime to spike and making it more organized especially in
major cities. Gangsters became extremely rich and violent as they fought for control of liquor
sells. Apparently the public ended up being fascinated by these big-city mob bosses. This
ended up causing, for example, people in rural areas to become involved in the underworld
business, which contributed to the major increase in crime.