Prohibition in the United States

The Prohibition Era was a period in United States history during which alcohol was outlawed. Police would arrest people was found making or selling alcohol illegally.

Sheriff's deputies dumping illegal alcohol in Orange County, California, in 1932.

Prohibition was established by the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. It became ratified by the states by January 16, 1919. It came into effect on January 16, 1920 and lasted until 1933.

The Women's Christian Temperance Union and other reformist organizations agitated for the change to improve the lives of the people. Prohibition was set up by the American government in an effort to decrease crime rates, reduce tax burden, and improve public health. It had little to do with the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

The punishment for being caught with an alcoholic beverage was jail time. The millions of people becoming criminals in such a short period of time led to overflowing prisons, which was one reason for many cases tp be dismissed.

Prohibition led to reduced consumption of alcohol but led the Mafia and other underground organizations to take up up rum-running. The demand of alcohol caused illegal bar. Called speakeasies, they hid the illegal alcohol and could be a proper pub or also simply in their owner's basement.

Prohibition was repealed on December 5, 1933 by the Twenty-first Amendment. Since then, states regulate the selling of liquor by themselves.