The culmination of nearly a century of activism, Prohibition was intended to improve, even to ennoble, the lives of all Americans, to protect individuals, families, and society at large from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse, but the enshrining of a faith-driven moral code in the Constitution paradoxically caused millions of Americans to rethink their definition of morality. Thugs became celebrities, responsible authority was rendered impotent. Social mores in place for a century were obliterated. Especially among the young, and most especially among young women, liquor consumption rocketed, propelling the rest of the culture with it: skirts shortened, music heated up, America's Sweetheart morphed into The Vamp.
Prohibition
turned law-abiding citizens into
criminals, made a mockery of the
justice system, caused illicit drinking to seem glamorous and fun, encouraged neighbourhood
gangs to become national crime
syndicates, permitted government officials to bend and sometimes even break
the law, and fostered cynicism and hypocrisy that corroded the social contract all across the country. With Prohibition in
place, but ineffectively enforced, one observer noted, America had hardly freed
itself from the scourge of alcohol abuse; instead, the "drys" had their law, while the
"wets" had their liquor.
The
story of Prohibition … beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum-runners, flappers, and speakeasies
… reveals a complicated and divided nation in
the throes of momentous transformation …vital questions were raised that
are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago about means and ends,
individual rights and responsibilities, the proper role of government and,
finally, who is and who is not a real American.
Question/to do:
- Who, according to the video (click on the link above), was for prohibition and why?
- Define the words in bold in the text above (taken from the introduction to the PBS documentary series PROHIBITION).
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