Prohibition in the Roaring Twenties Essay Example
Prohibition and the Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties can be described as a period of American history during which people crossed the line, smashed tradition, and broke boundaries. A brand new culture was created during this period, with jazz, money, the flapper, gangster wars, loose morals, speakeasies, and last but not least, an abundance of liquor. The decade was also called the New Era, the New Freedom, the Jazz Age, the Golden Era, the Lawless Decade, or the Dry Decade. The last title was a joke- the twenties were far from dry. This is the reason why the 1920's were given names that described America's lax view of the 18th amendment and the Volstead Act. The laws were literally ignored for the 13 years that they were in effect. Prohibition was meant to cause a nationwide revolution in morality. In actuality, it did quite the opposite. Prohibition law itself had the greatest effect on the culture of the "roaring twenties," and the carefree lifestyle and feeling of rebellion and invincibility can both be connected to prohibition. The change in American lifestyle began even before the prohibition law was passed. Several months prior to January 16, 1920 (when the 18th amendment and the Volstead Act were scheduled to go inot effect), there were warehouse robberies, stocking up of cellars with liquor, and burglaries of these cellars. Some called it the beginning of the age of hijacking. (Chidsey 73) However, the law affected neither alcohol consumption nor the brewing and distilling companies. At the close of the nineteenth century, the annual per capita consumption of distilled liquors in America was more than one gallon, of wine slightly less than half a gallon, and of malt liquors more than sixteen gallons. At the time of Prohibition there were 177, 790 saloons in the United States, 1217 legal breweries , 507 legal distilleries, and countless illegal ones. Together the brewers and distillers made up almost a billion- dollar industry- the fifth
The Roaring Twenties can be described as a period of American history during which people crossed the line, smashed tradition, and broke boundaries. A brand new culture was created during this period, with jazz, money, the flapper, gangster wars, loose morals, speakeasies, and last but not least, an abundance of liquor. The decade was also called the New Era, the New Freedom, the Jazz Age, the Golden Era, the Lawless Decade, or the Dry Decade. The last title was a joke- the twenties were far from dry. This is the reason why the 1920's were given names that described America's lax view of the 18th amendment and the Volstead Act. The laws were literally ignored for the 13 years that they were in effect. Prohibition was meant to cause a nationwide revolution in morality. In actuality, it did quite the opposite. Prohibition law itself had the greatest effect on the culture of the "roaring twenties," and the carefree lifestyle and feeling of rebellion and invincibility can both be connected to prohibition. The change in American lifestyle began even before the prohibition law was passed. Several months prior to January 16, 1920 (when the 18th amendment and the Volstead Act were scheduled to go inot effect), there were warehouse robberies, stocking up of cellars with liquor, and burglaries of these cellars. Some called it the beginning of the age of hijacking. (Chidsey 73) However, the law affected neither alcohol consumption nor the brewing and distilling companies. At the close of the nineteenth century, the annual per capita consumption of distilled liquors in America was more than one gallon, of wine slightly less than half a gallon, and of malt liquors more than sixteen gallons. At the time of Prohibition there were 177, 790 saloons in the United States, 1217 legal breweries , 507 legal distilleries, and countless illegal ones. Together the brewers and distillers made up almost a billion- dollar industry- the fifth