Prohibition Law in the US - Annotated Bibliography Example

 Prohibition The major objective of the government is to create conditions that would help in the advancement of the welfare of its citizens. Therefore, to achieve this, the legislative arm of the government would formulate different laws; however, these laws formulated by the government, though well intentioned, may confront stiff opposition in their implementation, leading to the repeal of the laws. The Prohibition law in the US is a classic example of how a well-intentioned law may meet opposition, which may ultimately lead to the repeal of the law. History indicates that alcohol has been a major source of the problems in the society1. Prohibition, also known as the Noble Experiment, converted into law on January 17, 19202. However, this was not the first time that alcohol was under prohibition in America. The state of Maine was the first state in America to prohibit alcohol; this was far back in the 1850s3. The law made it illegal to possess, manufacture, distribute, consume, advertise, give, or remove alcohol or alcohol based recipes from a residence or business premise4. The main group that facilitated the implementation of the prohibition was the Anti Saloon League (ASL), a power organization that had the support of a majority of the members of the Congress5. People who formulated the law thought that the law would help in reducing the vices in the society, which were associated with alcohol; however, the law elicited widespread debate on the subject. Among the people who were actively involved in the debate were the women who formed two opposing groups. One of the groups, women Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), advocated for the prohibition whereas another group, the Women Organization for National Prohibition Repeal (WONPR), was against the prohibition6. The main reason that led to the formation of organizations, which were against the prohibition, was that prohibition had led to a significant increase in crime. In addition, prohibition turned people who were previously law-abiding citizens to become criminals7. In addition, prohibition threatened to lead to the moral disintegration of the American society as the people who were supposed to enforce the law were under implication several times in corruption scandals8. Apart from the effects, the prohibition had on the crime rates it also negatively affected several sectors of the economy, which used to provide the livelihoods of millions of America either directly or indirectly. One of the sectors under great impact was the wine industry9. Therefore, for the successful implementation the government should have first tries to build a consensus and evaluate the effects of the prohibition instead of forcing it down on people10. Annotated Bibliography Behr, Edward. Prohibition: thirteen years that changed America. NY: Arcade Publishing, Inc. 1996. The book offers a comprehensive study of prohibition of alcohol. It tries to device reasons that may have brought about certain people to advocate for prohibition strongly. Throughout the book, the author uses temperance to explain why certain group of people, notably, the Anti-Saloon League (ASL), successfully used temperance to show why alcohol should confront prohibition. In the book, the author tries to analyze the propaganda spread by the ASL to impose fines on certain alcohol manufacturers. The ASL sometimes played the racial cards and tried to capture the American’s hatred towards the Germans to help in the advancement of its goals of imposing prohibition. The author develops the story by showing how “the good creature of God,” (referring to alcohol) has been an integral part of America. The author even states that the founding president of America, George Washington used to spend huge sums of money on alcohol. By considering these various prominent parties, which were involved and affected, the author is able to paint a more vivid picture of this era. This leads to a thorough understanding of the early twentieth century, as it introduced a country as prosperous as America to prohibition. The author claims that he used to spend a quarter of his domestic expenditure on alcohol, a large amount indeed. Therefore, the author implies that, by advocating of alcohol prohibition, the government go against the principles and ideals of the founding president and the American society in general. The extent to which the prohibition had on the lives of previously law-abiding citizens is clearly under highlight in George Remus. Prohibition had turned previous law-abiding citizens to have total disrespect for the law and broke the law at various times by taking or selling alcohol. Prior to the prohibition, Remus was a hardworking, law-abiding lawyer who was passionately opposed to the death penalty; however, prohibition turned him into a multi-million bootlegger of Cincinnati within four years. The transformation in the personality of Remus coupled with the infidelity of his wife led to murdering of his wife with a gun. The preceding trial invoked widespread passion and this was greatly under emphasis by the media. Thus, the book aids the reader in understanding the conditions that prevailed in the early twentieth century, with relation to politics, society, and the wide spread affect that a change such as this can have on country so established yet so volatile. The author also highlights the importance of the other advocacy groups in the political debate of prohibition. The importance of women who had just gained suffrage in the prohibition debate is clearly under highlight. The women formed two opposing groups; the ‘drys’ formed the women Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) whereas the wets formed the Women Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR). In addition, the book highlights the individual contribution of several members of such groups in the political divide. Moreover, the author has highlighted contribution of ASL’s propagandist Wayne Wheeler as well. Wheeler did not ascribe to the religious beliefs against prohibition that most members of the ASL had. Wheeler sensationalized the effects of alcohol to the people with results. Throughout the book, the author uses the personal account of people who experienced the prohibition to show how prohibition affected various groups of people. One of the groups that the author has successfully captured is the German Americans. This group of people confronted great impact by the prohibition as the ASL propaganda targeted them and blamed them for using funds from the Germany, a country that was US foe, to fuel their alcohol businesses. For these reasons, this book is a valuable source for this essay. It describes the drastic changes that prohibition brought about in America during this period, in relation to alcohol. It offers a detailed, yet crisp account of the history of America during this time, and how the people, economy, and country itself faced alteration in the face of prohibition. This helps both the reader and the researcher with the information and understanding they need of this era. Hayness, Roy & Harding, Warren. Prohibition Inside Out. NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1923. This book gives a personal account of the activities during the prohibition period. Written by Roy A. Haynes, the prohibition Commissioner and President Warren Harding, the book gives a clear illustration of the perception of the leadership at the time towards prohibition. In the book, Haynes recounts various experiences that he had with people who are trying to go against the prohibition for personal gain. Written in 1923, only four years after the promulgation of the Eighteenth Amendment, the book captures the general atmosphere that existed during the period. The book begins with a sensational view on the reasons of putting prohibition. The authors state that repealing of the Eighteenth Amendment would be very hard if not impossible. In the book, the authors show that the country was really prepared for the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment such that 33 states had adopted the prohibition before ratification of the constitutional amendment submitted to the legislature by Congress. Here, the book adds to the informational value of the essay, as it enables to reader to relate to both sides of the crowd that sees the prohibition under imposition: the people imposing the prohibition and the people upon whom it will be under imposition. It shows why the party who is imposing the prohibition does so, their motives, reasons, and logic for something, which may seem so unreasonable to the rest of the world. In addition, at the same time, it speaks of the people who were opposed to this prohibition, those who saw it as harmful to their personal interest. This perspective helps investigate the other side to prohibition, especially for where the demand is perhaps too unreasonable to be under imposition on the public. These dual perspectives offer a helpful attempt into discovering the various dimensions of prohibitions, which in turn help understand both the need for prohibition, and the reasons for its occasional failure in implementation. The book then goes on to explain the working of the Prohibition Unit and various other federal bodies, which existed to ensure that enforcement of the law to the letter. The book analyses the activities of the moonshiners (people who used to make moonshine an alcoholic drink usually made by mixing various chemicals with another type of alcohol). The authors try to portray drinking of beer from the moonshiners as risky as the drinks contain chemicals, which are harmful to the body. The book uses records of analysis of samples of moonshine captured by the Prohibition Unit. The book the goes to explain the everyday activity of the Prohibition Unit. The pursuits they have to make to the bootleggers and the how there efforts in finding the moonshine establishments which are usually hidden in places which are hard to trace. According to the authors, most of the moonshiners hid their moonshine in dugouts. Hence the Prohibition Unit officers have to search for the dug outs as they contain vast amounts of the illegal drink. The authors also highlight the hazards of the moonshine chase, which makes some of the police officers to be shot and serious injured or killed by the bootleggers or outlaws in their search for the moonshine. The authors also highlighted the fact that prohibition increased bribery and corruption. In addition, the author explains the reasons of temptation in favor of prohibition by bribery by the bootleggers to allow them to continue doing “business.” The authors also highlight scenarios in which the bootleggers, winemakers, and other people who violate the prohibition laws are brought to justice. In explaining the above, the authors use individual cases to show the success of the government in dealing with people who break the prohibition law, some of who threaten to kill the people who enforce the prohibition law. However prosecuting the bootleggers and people involved in illegal alcohol trade is not an easy task. In some instances, the law enforcers are involved in a ring that protects the interests of the bootleggers and other people who are involved in the illegal alcohol trade. This is clearly under highlight in the state of Indiana. In the city, the ring consisted of the Mayor, judge of the city court, Prosecuting attorney, police officers, and several other members of the government. Kyvig, David. Repealing National Prohibition. Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 2000.  The book explicitly explains the alcohol prohibition from the 18th Amendment to the conditions during the prohibition period. It further explains scheming by certain politicians to have the 18th amendment repealed as far back as 1927 during the time when the negative effects of the prohibition were starting to be felt by the population and the government. The book ends with the successful repealing of the 18th amendment. This resulted in the legalizing of the consumption and production of alcohol. According to the author, various factors led to the adoption of the national prohibition. Among the main factors was the Anti-Saloon League (ASL), made up of mainly Christian’s religious people. In specific, ASL came under establishment in the 19th century, and by the early 20thcentury, it had gradually gained political power until a time when most of the people who supported it formed a majority in Congress. Here the book reinforces the idea that not all prohibitions and laws made enjoy success. As the book discusses in detail, how the 18th amendment was finally repealed after the numerous events and efforts that led up to it, it sheds light on the fact that it is important to consider every opposing view that a prohibition faces. In specific, a vital dimension to consider for anyone who wishes to gain a deeper understanding about prohibitions, mainly their success, and their implementation. Prior to the 18thAmendment, many scholars had created moving convincing argument on the benefits that the government and the society would have if prohibition were under enactment. This made a majority of the people to support the prohibition. The period that preceded the 18th amendment was under characterization by a community, which generally thought that the prohibition was beneficial to the government and the society. However, few people were against the prohibition; but their voice was not hearable as many people supported prohibition. This situation continued until the mid 20s when the people could no longer tolerate the effects of the prohibition. Prohibition had greatly increased the crime rates in America as gangs and cartels were under formation to counter the Prohibition Unit, the federal agency entrusted with enforcing the law. The number of bootlegger greatly increased as people to get illegal supplies of beer. However, chemists also found a way of selling alcohol in the form of grape juice that had a warning claim that it had come after testing from the ministry of agriculture. When the grape was left on the shelf unused, it led turned to an alcoholic drink with 12 percent alcohol content, far much greater than the legally allowed 1.5 percent. This was just one the few methods through which could continue using alcohol under the disguise of another product. The negative effects of the prohibition forced people to take sides in the debate on the prohibition and participated in intense debate on the subject. Among the people who strongly advocated for the prohibition was Roosevelt, a future American President. In fact, his advocacy for the prohibition to help the democracy convinced him to run for governor and in fact offered financial assistance to him since he was in financial problems. By so doing, the democrats hoped to increase their popularity by having someone who strongly advocated on the prohibition on their side. The book ends with explaining the factors and conditions that led to the repeal of the18th Amendment. The election that had happened just before the repeal of the 18th Amendment had helped change the congressional representatives’’ perceptions of the prohibition. Here again, the author is able to shed light on this dimension of prohibition, which is often shunned as heresy. This dimension is how there may be less necessity for prohibition than the actual perceived ‘use’ for such a policy, as for instance, the democrats just saw it as a stepping stone to a higher purpose. This again debates the fact that there is a certain and decided need for prohibition in every society, because if the intention behind that prohibition is itself not solid, then the success it is likely to yield will not be either. Maisto, Stephen, Galizio, Mark & Connors, Gerard Joseph. Drug Use and Abuse. OH: Cengage Learning, 2010. America has a long history of fighting against drug use and abuse. Just like alcohol, control of the other drugs has generally been difficult. The book looks at the drug use and abuse in the US. It looks into all the classes of drugs that are taken by the US citizens. The drugs range from caffeine, cocaine, nicotine, amphetamines, marijuana, and other types of drugs. The book covers the contemporary issues of drugs. The books explain in detail how the drugs affect the physiological processes. Here the book explains the medical benefits of certain drugs. However, sadly enough, the citizens also abuse the same drugs used for medicinal purposes. In addition, the book covers social and economical aspects of the drugs. According to the author, drug abuse leads to the neglect of the social life of the users with the users only looking for ways in which they will get their next dose of the drugs. The book also looks at how the Americans incorporated the use of alcohol into their social activities; its position is that alcohol is taken in many social functions. In addition, alcohol games such as beer pong have been under development as a way of social interaction. These ways in which alcohol is under utilization in a society are not, within themselves, a danger to society. They are under control and more or less socially acceptable. However, all these encourage heavy drinking which is harmful to the body. Per capita consumption of alcohol offers a clear view of the amount of alcohol, which each individual in the United States consumes. The book also offers other statistics that highlight the intake of alcohol and other drugs based on the age of the individuals. According to the statistics, the age group that confronts the most impact by drug abuse (and multiple drug abuse) is the age group of 12 to 24 years, comprising of individuals who have the highest intake of alcohol and marijuana. The author recommends several measures taken to reduce the underage drinking and substance abuse. First, raising taxes would help increase the costs of the drugs and therefore make it to be unaffordable to the under aged members of the public. This aspect of the book offers not only a thorough perspective on the subject of prohibitions, but also puts a more practical spin on the topic. It shows how these prohibitions are relevant and potentially helpful for a society, which is under so much engagement by its addictions that it cannot recognize a problem as big as drugs, which are responsible for several deaths amongst its addicts. It helps lay down the guidelines to how one can function in society in such a way that they are just to themselves as well as the ones around them. In addition, the government should limit the number of places where alcohol can be purchase to reduce the access of people to alcohol and hence discourage them from taking it. However, in discussing the intake of alcohol, the book also highlights the importance of moderate consumption of alcohol. The author also offers an overview of the laws put in place to regulate the consumption of alcohol throughout history. The later chapters of the book are dedicated on the explanation of the use and abuse of illegal drugs. Some of these drugs are prescription drugs; however, the users of the drugs somehow manage to have access to the drugs through unscrupulous methods. Drugs abuse leads to many mental disorders. The book offers the various methods through the substance abuse related disorders are treated. It offers the latest approved therapies given to help treat the disorders. These therapies and ideas are helpful in understanding how far the problem goes in ruining the lives of the people who are not subject to much needed prohibitions in their lives. At the same time, it helps one understand the implications for a person who is opposed to such restricting laws governing their lives, and side by side, offers them a solution to their mistakes. Peck, Garrett. The prohibition hangover: alcohol in America from demon rum to cult cabernet. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2009. The book looks at the effects of the prohibition on the government; however, the book takes an economic view of the prohibition. According to the author, by advocating for prohibition, the ASL was doing injustice to the people in the middle and lower class who depended on the saloon for socialization. These people met in the saloon after the end of the day to have time to rest; therefore, the saloon was an urban culture. However, because most of the members of the ASL had a rural background, they despised the urban lifestyle which most of the people symbolized with the drunkenness, prostitution and other vice. These people were therefore against alcoholic establishments such as the saloon. The ASL also used the First World War to advance its agenda as the US declared war against the Germans. The ASL used the anti German public perception to associate the Germans with the alcohol and could therefore easily convince the public to advocate for prohibition. Here the book offers an insight into the history of prohibition, and gives an instance of a time when political events and agenda were used in order to make a prohibition successful. In addition, while this looks as the manipulation of the public opinion using an unfair strategy, the book goes on to explain that this targeted to help those who were suffering due to the absence of a strict and binding prohibition related to drinking and other vices. The author outlines the criminal activities brought about by the prohibition. For instance, prohibition made the bootleggers to dangerous driving, as they would occasionally confront chases by police and the prohibition unit. According to the author, several developments in the late 1920s led to the repeal of the 18th amendment. One of the factors was the suffrage of the women in middle 1920s, which thrust them in the middle of the most explosive public debate of the period. Another major factor that led to the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment was the Great Depression, which started in 1929. The great depression led to a sharp decrease in government revenue, as well as to massive job losses. Therefore, by repealing the Eighteenth Amendment the government would get the much-needed revenue and provide people with employment. All this would help to boost the economy and help the government to recover from the effects of the depression. Another factor that led to the repeal was the fact that the courts had a huge backlog of cases for Volstead Act violations. In addition, prohibition increased the levels of crime, putting great strain on the judicial system. Therefore, a solution had to come under formulation to help the judicial system and reduce the general disrespect of the law, which the people had before it spilled into the other legal areas. All the above factors led to the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment. In addition to restoring law, order, and boosting the economy, the repeal facilitated the formulation of laws, which regulated the alcohol consumption, something never been done successfully prior to the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment. The legalizing of the beer industry made beer intake to be more vibrant than during the period before the prohibition. The beer industries repackaged the bottled beer as a product that was affordable to the working class. This was partly due to the tax reductions that the government offered to discourage people from taking the strong alcoholic drinks such as whisky. Thus, alcohol came under introduction into the American culture, and during the Second World War, the soldiers did not have any grain or alcohol rationing. This again showed the sensitivity of a well established community to prohibitions such as these, which lead to drastic changes in the lives of the ordinary individuals who make up a community. Here the reader learns that if such sensitive issues do not receive due importance, then the chances of a prohibition causing more success than harm, are minimal. Pinney, Thomas. A history of wine in America: from prohibition to the present, Volume 2. California: University of California Press, 2005. Prohibition affected several sectors of the American economy. The Volstead Act made it illegal to produce any alcoholic drink that had more than 0.5 percent alcohol content. This made the alcoholic drinks industry to be vastly under impact. Among the sector that confronted great impact was the wine industry, with many people depending on the vineyards for their livelihoods. Prior to the prohibition, many vineyards produced wine; however, after prohibition, the vineyards as well as the industries that produced wines greatly reduced. This was mainly because the prohibition reduced the market for the wine. It was apparent that the government had not thought through the interest of such parties, who were in the danger of facing structural unemployment after the prohibition. The wine was under legally selling for religious sacramental use among the Jews and the Christians, flavorings to people who had medical prescriptions of wine and could obtain permit to store the rest of the wine that they did not sell. However, most of the wineries were not able to store most of their wine for long periods, making the wineries to pour large amounts, as most of it were spoilt, covered with cobwebs, or evaporated due to being stored for long periods. The wastage of wine as well as the unemployment of the vineyards and other wine producing resources that the prohibition caused was further examples of how the government had not thought through the implementation of this law. While they had successfully accounted for the possible benefit that it would cause, the losses to the wine producers had somehow not received due consideration until after they occurred. In addition, some wineries managed to store the wine for long periods successfully and could sell the wine a little at a time. The wineries were not intensively involved in bootlegging and therefore had a limited market for the wines. In addition, the wine had little use except coming under utilization as a beverage. If it were converted to alcohol, it could not effectively compete with the other alcohols from cane syrup or sugar beet for industrial use in the manufacture of chemicals such as paints. Therefore, most of the wine not sold ended up in the storage facilities, leading to a substantial reduction in the wine that the wineries made. In addition, the reduction in the market of the wineries and spoilage of wine made many wineries to close down. The only wineries which were left are those that could store most of their wine without being spoilt or those that produce quantities which were so small such that they stored very little of the wine. This worked in the favor of not those people who respected the law more, but simply those people who were better equipped than others when it came to the needed equipment to preserve the wine. In addition, while this did not have a negative meaning for the legality of their actions, it certainly did lead to the belief that the prohibition was only an obstacle in which one needs to find loopholes. However, during the late 1933, the wineries started to sell wine that had 3.2 percent alcohol content due to the speculation that the Eighteenth amendment would confront cancellation. Fate contrived to grant the wineries a lifeline as the Eighteenth amendment confronted its repeal soon after the wineries started to sell the 3.2 wine. Soon after the repeal, the wineries sold vast amounts of the wine, some of which contained even higher percentage of alcohol content. Interestingly, some of the wine that the wineries sold was made during the prohibition period and was in storage. However, according to the author, the prohibition did not have negative effect on the wine industry. During the prohibition period, people embraced the culture of wine making, since during the prohibition period, most of the people used to take homemade wine, which was generally of low quality, as they did not have access to the ingredients necessary to make high quality wine. Therefore, the repeal of prohibition provided an opportunity for people to take wine from the wineries, which was of a higher quality, thus enabling them to appreciate it even more. Rose, Kenneth D. American Women, and the Repeal of Prohibition. NY: NYU Press, 1997. During the period when prohibition law was passed, American women had just gained suffrage. Therefore, this moment provided a unique opportunity to determine the women influence in the society since the law touched on the home issues. Women have been known to have conservative home protectionists orientation and have effectively used this to clearly express their views and in some cases successfully determining the outcomes of certain issues in the society. However prior to the prohibition women’s views and political capability was generally under ignorance with the only other politically significant achievement being the Equal Rights Amendments (EMA). The book clearly shows the significance of women in the political debate of whether to repeal the prohibition or not. It shows the significance of every voice that has its own opinion, and how each such opinion has an important part to play in the eventual success or failure of a prohibition. One interesting point clearly brought by the book is how a common philosophy can come under utilization by two different groups in furthering their political agenda that may be antagonistic to each other. The women Christian temperance Union (WCTU) and the Women organization for national prohibition reform (WONPR) were the two opposing groups, with WCTU supporting prohibition (dry supporters) whereas WONPR against prohibition (wet supporter). Both groups used the basic domestic philosophy of ensuring the well-being of the members of the family. WCTU argues that alcohol affected the women’s sons and daughters and led to the breakup of families, therefore it should be under prohibition. However, according to WONPR, prohibition posed a threat to the family as it facilitated the nurturing of a criminal class. In addition, WONPR claimed that the prohibition had created a crime wave, led to the increase in corruption among the public officials, made drinking to be fashionable and had made people to be against the rule of law. According to WONPR women, all the above threatened their homes and welfare of their children; thus, women clinged to the domestic philosophy of home protection for their political advancement during this period and in the 19th century. Most of the women involved in modern day politics also use the philosophy for their political gain. Thus, the author draws the origins of the use of the philosophy for the political advancement of the women. The author also shows the importance of the class and social constituency of a women’s group to its eventual success. The WCTU mainly consisted of upper middle class members. The group mainly ascribed to deeply religious views and was thus initially successful. However, the WONPR had strictly secular views. This made it to be attractive to the upper middle class women formed a sizeable proportion of its leadership positions. The author also notes that the split in the women on the prohibition the put to rest political notion which the political leaders of a women’s voting block was eliminated. The author is of the view that the women played an active part in the repealing of the prohibition law. However, because alcohol continues to pose a major problem to the family even today, the author concludes by looking at the roles that women may play in helping to solve the current problems posed by alcohol. This revelation has significance for the prohibition laws even today. It reminds the imposing authorities, to consider all the involved parties during the prohibition of something that affects several different groups of people. It shows how the voice of no group should be underestimated, because in the end, it can be one of the driving factors which help shed light on why the prohibition is a law that will survive public scrutiny or not. It also shows that the voice of women is a powerful one that was given less important during the era in which the 18th amendment was repealed, but deserved more attention as had an important role in the whole affair at that time. Smith, Nigel. The USA, 1917-1980. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. Prohibition was among the most historically significant activities in the 20th century American history. Many historians have written about prohibition, sometimes analyzing it using different perspectives. The book is on the history of the USA between 1917 – and 1980. Thus, because prohibition was a significant historical event, the author had to include the events during the prohibition period for the book to have any historical significance. This helps paint a more vivid picture of the world at that time. It highlights the events that posed as challenges as well as those which helped the cause. These are all important events to consider, as they all have significant roles to play in the prohibition during that time. They were contributing factors, which are essential for any researcher to analyze in order to fully understand why events unfolded the way they did during the delicate times. Many other historically significant activities happened during the period: the Watergate affair, the cold war, Second World War, civil rights uprising on the black community to end segregation, the Kennedy assassination among many other. All the above have been under clear explanation in the book. The book dedicates a chapter, chapter 3, to the prohibition otherwise known as the “Noble Experiment.” The author underpins the importance of the Anti-Saloon League (or simply the League) in the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment. The author states that the League initially had the following of most rural people and protestant churches in the rural areas, which had a large congregation. The book uses clear illustration throughout the chapter to explain the prohibition using pictures of activities that took place during the period. However, the prohibition increased the level of organized crime, which set up a large industry that produced and distributed illegal drinks. According to the author, thousands of speakeasies (as illegal bars were called at the time) were operated by the gangs across the country. In addition, prohibition increased the corruption among the police and politicians. Rival gangs also used bribery to help continue operating their businesses. According to the author, prohibition alone did not increase crime levels in the USA; it only gave the criminals an opportunity to expand and venture into businesses, which were previously perceived to be legal. The book concentrates on a single criminal who were as a notorious racketeer and gang leader in Chicago, known as Al Capone. Al Capone had a luxurious lifestyle, often seen with very expensive suits, and had a bullet proof Cadillac. This is an important fact to consider, because it rejects the belief that there was law and order in the absence of the prohibition, and that the introduction of the prohibition was the sole reason why crime rates magnified with such intensity during that period. The book takes into account how it was more of a contributing factor to other stronger factors, which were already working against the law at that time. The level of corruption in the country is further exposed by the fact Al Capone used to freely mingle with the politicians most of who he easily corrupted to continue in his illegal trade. Capone was an arrogant figure who described himself as a businessperson who supplied people with what they wanted. Capone used violence against anybody who stood in his way, be it a police officer or a rival gang. It is a thought that he was behind most of the murders that occurred in Chicago during the time. However, the most shocking murder, which finally led to his conviction, was the St Valentine Day Massacre in which the murderers, thought to be members of Capone’s gang, attacked, and killed members of a rival gang disguised as police officers. An ironic twist of the case is that Capone was not under conviction for any offence of violence; instead, he confronted conviction for not paying enough income tax for his illegal business. The chapter ends with the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, where, according to the author, the main factor that led to the repeal was the frustration of the public and the politicians on the level of disrespect of the law. Stelzle, Charles. A son of the Bowery: the life story of an East Side American. Florida: Ayer Publishing, 1926. This is the story of a man who was born and brought up in the East side of New York. The man lived during the period when prohibition was in place. Written in 1926, the book tells us the author’s experiences in the social and religious work in the part of the city. Because he was engaged in social work, he definitely confronted the issues of prohibition. In addition, the author was also involved in religious activities (he was a Christian), therefore, because the church was actively involved in the advocacy of prohibition, the author had to be involved in the issue. During his time as a social worker, the author does extensive research on the problem of liquor that led to the prohibition. This book has a unique and valuable contribution in the subject of prohibition, because it gives a perspective of how the world was during prohibition, through the account of an individual. This is an important perspective to consider, because one can never fully grasp the effects of an event unless they consider the implications it had for the life of an individual. According to the author, the problem of liquor is not an isolated problem; it was under relation with various other issues, which the relevant bodies should consider. The man also disagrees with the churches who think that the alcohol problem is simply a moral issue. He points out that prohibition was under enforcement mainly because the large number of saloons had become a menace to the society and propagated behaviors that were against the society norms such as prostitution, gambling and entertained crooks. Stelzle was a supporter of prohibition; he did several researches to show just how much the citizens of the country spent on alcohol. According to him, citizens spent $ 2 billion every year on alcohol, an aspect that elicited widespread disagreements with the people who were advocating the prohibition to confront abolishment. However, statistics published soon after showed that the figures might in fact be higher than he had estimated as the liquor industry estimated a potential loss of $ 1.5 billion if prohibition was enforced. Therefore, according to Stelzle the people had to spend more on alcohol to enable the alcohol industry cover the expenses and post a good profit. They therefore had to spend about $ 4 billion. Stelzle involved in prohibition debate during times. At one time, he was involved in a debate on prohibition with Captain Stayton, one of the greatest prohibitions in New Jersey. Stayton refused to accept the fee offered to him for giving the lecture on prohibition, prompting Stelzle to take back the fees so as not to be disadvantaged in the debate. In fact, Stelzle later claims that he never took any fee to debate on the prohibition; Stezle was very supportive of prohibition such that he even put a paid advertisement in a magazine asking anyone who was opposed to the prohibition to involve him a public debate, in fact, he got a few offers. However, though Stelzle was an ardent supporter of prohibition, he was against the idea of forcing the prohibition on people. Instead, he always asked the relevant bodies to explain to people the vices of alcohol in order to have common consensus and reduce the resistance to the prohibition. This is the example of a leader who understood how to introduce a prohibition to the public without the coercion. He would go right to the root of the problem, which here was the ignorance the public had in relation to the vices of alcohol. Instead of forcing the governments view’s on the people, he would attempt to explain to them the reasons for this prohibition. Additionally, while the amendment stood repealed later, this one person had a healthy approach as to how it should be under imposition. Vick. Drugs & Alcohol in the 21st Century: Theory, Behavior, & Policy. MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2010. Alcohol has very many negative effects on any society. The United States policy makers have known this for a long time and have therefore formulated policies that try to regulate the usage of alcohol and thus prevent the harmful effects on its population. However, implementation of these laws has generally not been successful and has led to experience of many hurdles in the implementation. This book tries to provide an understanding of the alcohol related issues in America. It digs deep back into history to help provide a clear understanding of the alcohol related issues. Most parts of the book are concerned with the behavioral theory, which makes Americans loathe alcohol, and policies formulated to help regulate the intake of the beverage. Chapter 5 explains prohibition of the alcohol and the consequences. The author begins with explaining the taxation policies put to regulate the intake of the alcohol. This introduces the reader to the controls that were under utilization in the implementation of the prohibition, an important aspect of the ordeal to consider, since it has a large part to play in the success and the public reaction that followed the implementation. The taxation of the alcohol as a regulation measure began as early as the formation of Americas an independent nation, with George Washington approving the taxation of whisky in 1794. However, the failure of the implementation of the policies also began at this stage, as states were unable to implement the policy. The first ban on the sale and manufacture of liquor was by the state of Maine in 1831 due to the increase in the alcoholism of the citizens. Other states soon followed suit. However, fate would lead to the failure of the ban as civil war began soon after which led to end of the ban. There were people who were so much against alcohol consumption and the evils associated with it such they form the Prohibition Party in 1869. The Prohibition Party was politically active and supported candidates who were against the sale and consumption of alcohol. However, this party was not politically successful. This made the members of the party to leave and form the Anti-Saloon League (ASL) or simply the league. This organization was so politically successful such that by 1916 the people who supported the party’s ideals formed a majority in the congress. This formed the precedent of the 18thAmendment, which made alcohol prohibition to be a law on January 17, 1920. Thus, the book clearly explains the history of the alcohol prohibition. The prohibition law made it illegal to possess, manufacture, distribute, consume, advertise, give, or remove alcohol or alcohol based recipes from a residence or business premise. Congress also passed the Volstead Act, which created the Prohibition Unit to enforce the law. However, just like previous counterparts, the agencies were generally not successful. Here the author sheds light on why the agencies faced failure even after the seemingly thorough attempts to make the policies successful. Among the main factors that led to their lack of success was corruption in the agencies. Another factor that led to the failure of the agencies, according to the author, is that the agencies were overwhelmed by their work and could not patrol all the areas. Another factor that led to the failure of the law is the fact that the state governments did not strictly enforce the laws as they considered it responsibility of the federal government. Other organizational problems between the states and the federal governments inclined the states to sue the federal government, resulting in inclination of the federal government to reorganize the Prohibition Unit. This provides not only a deeper understanding of why this failure happened, but also provides a guideline of sorts, for agencies that may confront a similar purpose in the future. In addition, it has shown that the ban of a product increases the illegal trade and bootlegging. This was also the case for alcohol according to the author. This is an important lesson for a government that aims to establish policies, which will lead to maximum public welfare. When a policy is under incorrect implementation or introduced without considering the possible side effects, it leads to a public protest, which manifests itself in the emergence of dangerous things like illegal trade. Prohibition increased the illegal shipments of the drink, to cater for the demand, from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The illegal shipments polarized the nation as street gangs, alcohol cartels, rumrunners and the prohibition unit faced them with violence thus dividing America between people who supported the prohibition (dry supporters) and people who were against the alcohol prohibition (wet supporters). This forced the government to make the 21stamendment, which returned the control of the alcoholic beverages to the states and local government of the United States. The federal government only acted as a coordinating party. However, after the repealing of the prohibition law, the alcohol consumption rates rose again. This forced President Ronald Reagan to pass legislation, which increased the drinking age from 18 to 21 in 1982. However, unlike the other legislation that had been passed to regulate consumption, this bill passed as president Reagan tied it to the federal funding which states received for road construction and repair. States that did not pass the law would receive the federal funding, forcing them to comply with the directives. Since then, other states have passed laws, which further regulate the consumption albeit with less resistance than during the 1920s. Works Cited Behr, Edward. Prohibition: thirteen years that changed America. NY: Arcade Publishing, Inc. 1996. Hayness, Roy, & Harding, President Warren. Prohibition Inside Out. NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1923. Kyvig, David. Repealing national prohibition. Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 2000. Maisto, Stephen, Galizio, Mark and Connors, Gerard Joseph. Drug Use and Abuse. OH: Cengage Learning, 2010. Peck, Garrett. The prohibition hangover: alcohol in America from demon rum to cult cabernet. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2009. Pinney, Thomas. A history of wine in America: from prohibition to the present, Volume 2.California: University of California Press, 2005. Rose, Kenneth D. American Women, and the Repeal of Prohibition. NY: NYU Press, 1997. Smith, Nigel. The USA, 1917-1980.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. Stelzle, Charles. A son of the Bowery: the life story of an East Side American. Florida: Ayer Publishing, 1926. Vick. Drugs & Alcohol in the 21st Century: Theory, Behavior, & Policy. MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2010. Read More