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'''Prohibition''' in [[United States of America|American]] parlance typically refers to the movement and body of law that prohibited the manufacture, sale, transport, import, or export of intoxicating [[liquor]] within, into, or from the [[United States of America]] from 1920 to 1933.  It did not make drinking or serving liquor illegal. It was one of the major reforms of the [[Progressive Era]], and was strongly supported by [[Christian socialists]] and [[Social Gospel|Social Gospellers]], who were mobilized by the [[Anti-Saloon League]].

'''Prohibition''' in [[United States of America|American]] parlance typically refers to the movement and body of law that prohibited the manufacture, sale, transport, import, or export of intoxicating [[liquor]] within, into, or from the [[United States of America]] from 1920 to 1933.  It did not make drinking or serving liquor illegal. It was one of the major reforms of the [[Progressive Era]], and was strongly supported by [[Christian socialists]] and [[Social Gospel|Social Gospellers]], who were mobilized by the [[Anti-Saloon League]].

Two ostensibly unrelated events facilitated Prohibition: the ratification of the 16th Amendment, which established the federal income tax and thus reduced the dependency of the federal government on liquor taxes, and World War I, which turned Americans against Germany, which was associated with beer manufacturers.  While conservatives generally do not favor people consuming hard liquor, in the context of the movement that led up to the passage of the 18th amendment, the movement for prohibition was an integral part of [[Progressivism]].<ref>[https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/9027/11767 Prohibition and the Progressive Movement, 1900-1920. By James H. Timberlake]</ref>  After all, where the progressives took it is generally where conservatives do not want go go: namely, the use of government by one group of Americans against another group of Americans.

Two ostensibly unrelated events facilitated Prohibition: the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment, which established the federal income tax and thus reduced the dependency of the federal government on liquor taxes, and World War I, which turned Americans against Germany, which was associated with beer manufacturers.  While conservatives generally do not favor people consuming hard liquor, in the context of the movement that led up to the passage of the [[Eighteenth Amendment]], the movement for prohibition was an integral part of [[Progressivism]].<ref>[https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/9027/11767 Prohibition and the Progressive Movement, 1900-1920. By James H. Timberlake]</ref>  After all, where the progressives took it is generally where conservatives do not want go go: namely, the use of government by one group of Americans against another group of Americans.

== History ==

== History ==

[[Wayne Wheeler]], an activist for "dry" causes, supported the measure.  He said: "The Government is under no obligation to furnish the people with alcohol that is drinkable when the Constitution prohibits it", and "The person who drinks this industrial alcohol is a deliberate suicide... To root out a bad habit costs many lives and long years of effort..."<ref name=deadly />

[[Wayne Wheeler]], an activist for "dry" causes, supported the measure.  He said: "The Government is under no obligation to furnish the people with alcohol that is drinkable when the Constitution prohibits it", and "The person who drinks this industrial alcohol is a deliberate suicide... To root out a bad habit costs many lives and long years of effort..."<ref name=deadly />

As a result of instituting prohibition, the poisoning of alcohol and the deaths it caused is one of the uglier chapters of the late [[Progressive Era]].  It is believed that more than 10,000 people died before the 18th amendment was repealed.<ref>[http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-prohibition 10 Things You Should Know About Prohibition]</ref>

As a result of instituting prohibition, the poisoning of alcohol and the deaths it caused is one of the uglier chapters of the late [[Progressive Era]].  It is believed that more than 10,000 people died before the Eighteenth amendment was repealed.<ref>[http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-prohibition 10 Things You Should Know About Prohibition]</ref>

=== Crime and repeal ===

=== Crime and repeal ===

The [[Great Depression]] dramatically depressed tax revenues for state and local government. The "wet" forces, never dormant nor idle, quickly created a public perception that if only the beverage industry were legitimate once again, many of these suddenly unemployed workers could be gainfully employed once again.<ref name=About/> The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment, led by Catholic Democrats, quickly capitalized on this perception and ran candidates for Congress who favored repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment.

The [[Great Depression]] dramatically depressed tax revenues for state and local government. The "wet" forces, never dormant nor idle, quickly created a public perception that if only the beverage industry were legitimate once again, many of these suddenly unemployed workers could be gainfully employed once again.<ref name=About/> The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment, led by Catholic Democrats, quickly capitalized on this perception and ran candidates for Congress who favored repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment.

In Florida, for example, during 1928-32 a broad coalition of judges, lawyers, politicians, journalists, brewers, hoteliers, retailers, and ordinary wet Floridians joined together to repeal the ban on alcohol. When the federal government legalized near beer and light wine in 1933, the wet coalition launched a successful campaign to legalize these beverages at the state level. Floridians subsequently joined in the national campaign to repeal the 18th Amendment, which succeeded in December 1933. The following November, state voters repealed Florida's constitutional ban on liquor and gave local governments the power to legalize or outlaw alcoholic beverages.<ref> John J. Guthrie, Jr., "Rekindling The Spirits: From National Prohibition to Local Option in Florida: 1928-1935," ''Florida Historical Quarterly'' 1995 74(1): 23-39. 0015-4113 </ref>  

In Florida, for example, during 1928-32 a broad coalition of judges, lawyers, politicians, journalists, brewers, hoteliers, retailers, and ordinary wet Floridians joined together to repeal the ban on alcohol. When the federal government legalized near beer and light wine in 1933, the wet coalition launched a successful campaign to legalize these beverages at the state level. Floridians subsequently joined in the national campaign to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment, which succeeded in December 1933. The following November, state voters repealed Florida's constitutional ban on liquor and gave local governments the power to legalize or outlaw alcoholic beverages.<ref> John J. Guthrie, Jr., "Rekindling The Spirits: From National Prohibition to Local Option in Florida: 1928-1935," ''Florida Historical Quarterly'' 1995 74(1): 23-39. 0015-4113 </ref>  

Women were influential in the fight to repeal national prohibition, especially through the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR). Led by Mrs. Pauline Sabin, the group consisted primarily of middle and upper class women who viewed prohibition as a failure in terms of diminishing the consumption of alcoholic beverages, feared the influence of the speakeasy on the morals of the young, and believed taxes on alcoholic beverages were a needed source of government revenue. The WONPR combated the propaganda of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, supported anti-prohibition candidates for political office, and generally operated in an independent fashion. The group's activities during the late 1920's and early 1930's suggest a revision of the view that the women's movement declined in strength and influence following the adoption of the woman suffrage amendment.<ref> David E. Kyvig, "Women Against Prohibition." ''American Quarterly'' 1976 28(4): 465-482. [ http://www.jstor.org/stable/2712541  in JSTOR]</ref>

Women were influential in the fight to repeal national prohibition, especially through the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR). Led by Mrs. Pauline Sabin, the group consisted primarily of middle and upper class women who viewed prohibition as a failure in terms of diminishing the consumption of alcoholic beverages, feared the influence of the speakeasy on the morals of the young, and believed taxes on alcoholic beverages were a needed source of government revenue. The WONPR combated the propaganda of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, supported anti-prohibition candidates for political office, and generally operated in an independent fashion. The group's activities during the late 1920's and early 1930's suggest a revision of the view that the women's movement declined in strength and influence following the adoption of the woman suffrage amendment.<ref> David E. Kyvig, "Women Against Prohibition." ''American Quarterly'' 1976 28(4): 465-482. [ http://www.jstor.org/stable/2712541  in JSTOR]</ref>