The End of Prohibition

Posted by Brian Tubbs Mar 22, 2007

One of the biggest movements in late 19th century and early 20th century Christianity was Prohibition. In fact, it was a defining movement within the larger women's movement as well.

In 1919, the temperance movement hit it zenith with passage of the 18th amendment, outlawing alchohol consumption in the United States. Congress put teeth to this amendment with the Volstead Act, passed that same year, which assigned penalties and gave wide latitude to the US government in enforcing prohibition.

Illegal trafficking of alcohol, powered by organized crime bosses, made the 1920s especially turbulent. Infamous gangsters like Al Capone dominated this era. These were days that served as the inspiration of the hit movie The Untouchables.

By the time of the Great Depression, the American people had come to see prohibition as futile. Despite the efforts of the government, alcohol was everywhere. FDR, himself a fan of a good drink now and then, believed that legalizing and taxing alcohol might help alleviate the Depression. On March 22, 1933, he signed the Beer and Wine Revenue Act. This was the death blow to Prohibition, in that it circumvented the Constitution and partially legalized (though still regulated and of course taxed) alcohol consumption in the US. In December, the 18th amendment was repealed. Drinking was legal again.

Since then, alcohol has continued to decimate families, contribute to driving fatalities, and in general destroy lives. While organized crime associated with alcohol has been dramatically reduced (or, depending on your point of view, replaced by drug cartels), the ravages of alcoholism are still with us today.

What do you think? Were the Christian advocates of Prohibition onto something with the 18th amendment, even if their methods were wrong?