Pohibition and Religion

United States Prohibition and Religion
by Camille Thrall

The United States prohibition was a nationwide ban on alcohol. It was a constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of Alcoholic drinks from 1920-1930. This ban was unsuccessful in it's attempt to get rid of alcohol consumption in the United States. Instead of getting rid of Alcohol, the prohibition gave the Mafia a Captive audience; people who loved to drink in a country where alcohol was forbidden in it's constitution.

But why get rid of Alcohol in the first place? It does seem a bit counter intuitive to get rid of alcohol only for the problem to get worse because of the opening of a high profile black market for even the cheap alcohol, like "Moonshine". well, the answer lies within religion. Alcohol, while not illegal to any law in mainstream catholic or protestant church, was definitely looked down upon because of how it made it's church members look.
 
This brings us to the Temperance movement. Starting as early as the 1820's the consumption of Alcohol to some religious groups was seen as bad, causing men to be violent or unfaithful towards their wives, and many women spoke out against drinking, drunkenness, intoxication,  and violence. A group of women (Woman's Christian Temperance Union. After 1900 it was coordinated by the Anti-Saloon League) called for the Unites States to "vote dry". their opposition naturally went with a slogan saying "wet" against the dry.

While many of the temperance movement was made by women, religion played a huge part in this decision. Alcohol was seen as sinful and lead to sins being committed. Although he intentions of this 18th Amendment were good and grand, the outcomes were not as such.

The ban on Alcohol created an opportunity for the Mafia to sell their alcohol to a captive audience who always wanted more, and could never get enough. Organized crime with the mafia became a normal thing, secret knocking coded to get into the bar at the back of a bookstore was also normal, lying to cops or getting arrested for the possession of alcohol was normal. All of these horrible consequences were created by banning alcohol.

The ban that the religious men and righteous women created had the opposite effect than it's intended cause, and the ban was lifted in 1933, although no one had really stopped drinking.