How Did The Prohibition Never Repealed?

During the prohibition era, alcohol was seen as the reason for problems in society and within families. Prohibition was enacted as it was believed it would help solve societal issues such as crime, poverty and violence. Nearly 80 percent of U.S. Congress members violated prohibition laws themselves at that time. George Cassidy, whom was also known as “Man in the Green Hat”, reports he made up to 25 daily deliveries to Capitol Hill. He was arrested, plead guilty and started selling alcohol in the Senate Office Building instead. George Cassidy’s reputation became known by then Vice President, Charles Curtis, who set up a sting operation to catch Cassidy by placing a “dry agent” in store inside the Senate Office Building to observe Cassidy
(qtd. in Interactive History). Cassidy was arrested, served only a year in prison, and wrote a book of his memoirs. Cassidy’s client list was never revealed. If the prohibition was never repealed in the United States of America, then our country would have an increase in gang violence, crime and The Great Depression would have been much worse.

Before the 18th Amendment was ratified on January 29, 1919, the foundations of prohibition started in 1820s and 1830s in the New England states of Massachusetts and Maine. During this time, “religious revivalism” was beginning to grow across the United States causing people to look at various societal issues associated with alcohol consumption (qtd. in Prohibition). Those part of the religious revivalism called for “temperance” or temperance law advocating for the abstinence of alcohol for a perfect society. From a religious viewpoint, the body is a temple of God and alcohol would be considered harming the temple. The state of Massachusetts set an example by passing the first “temperance law” prohibiting the sale of spirits less than 15-gallons; however, it was repealed two years later in 1840. By 1846, Maine was the first state to pass a prohibition law. Several other states passed prohibition laws as well by the start of the Civil War in 1861 (qtd. in Prohibition). Then shortly after this time period “drinking became a major issue in the Progressive Era (roughly 1900–13), a time of major reform. Prohibition came to be seen as a way to help the poor and protect the young” (Benson). This is when the Prohibition became a huge issue in the United States and was more intense.
If the Prohibition was never repealed, the immediate consequences would have a significant impact on the way history would turn out to be.
The prohibition was a important in American history. Most Americans did not want the Prohibition to happen but most people know that In 1919, “congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , outlawing the manufacturing and sale of alcohol nationwide” (Benson). This sent people into anger and madness. A majority of Americans were in favor of alcohol and did not want to give it up, this made people illegally make, receive, and transport alcohol so they could get what they wanted. If the Prohibition was never repealed, it would most likely be common to have people illegally get alcohol and no one would question it. But it could possibly mean there would be a higher number of police forces out inspecting people for illegally possessing alcohol, leading to higher crime rates. Most people who drank during the Prohibition did not care and it was a crime to do so, In an article by Sonia Benson it states, “Organized crime was a new concept in the 1920s. But when mobsters and mob bosses saw an opportunity to make huge profits from the manufacturing and sale of alcohol throughout Prohibition, they took advantage of it” (Benson). This means that if it was never repealed, we would still have more fierce gang violence, and everyday people who buy alcohol or wanted to make it would most likely get into a part of a mob or fund mob
bosses.
While Prohibition was still going on it had effects on other countries outside of the United States. During World War I, Prohibition became a patriotic issue. Most of the Americans were loyal to the United States but there was controversy because “several of the largest breweries were owned by immigrants from Germany, the United States's enemy in the war” (Benson). The effects Prohibition would have on other countrie if it was never repealed would be mostly import and export. The United States got a majority of their beer from Germany, and we were one of their major consumers. We also we owned a lot of Russian vodka, and the use of potatoes to make vodka would go down. In this time, America would not be fully supported economically without some of those major imports.
Teenage lives would not be the same if the Prohibition Era was still occurring. In the time of the era ”The American public simply did not consider moderate drinking a sinful activity and refused to have its morality policed by the government” (Benson). Since the government did not usually get involved with catching people with illegal crimes, Some of the work was done by undercover cops. If Prohibition was still happening modern age teenagers would be conformed to seeing more crimes, gang violence or participation in gangs and transportation of illegal alcohol. This would happen because if it was common during the Prohibition Era it would most likely increase over time and become worse.
To conclude, If we were still living in the Prohibition Era we would be more accustomed to crime, violence and gangs where we live. Its most disadvantageous effects on society included the growth of a large and powerful underworld of bootlegging, smuggling, organized crime, and brutal violence, it also would have affected our society and other nations societies would be transfigured as well. Overall, the Prohibition was never enforceable and would be a catastrophe if it was never repealed.