Essay Sample on Repeal The 18th Amendment

According to cato.org crime rates increased by 24% in the early 1920s. In the late 1910s, the 18th Amendment was passed to put Prohibition into place. Prohibition prohibits the drinking, making, selling, or owning of alcohol. Why do you think America decided to repeal the 18th Amendment? There are many reasons that America decided to repeal the 18th Amendment including the beginning of the Great Depression, a spike in crime rates, and problems enforcing the law.

First off, Prohibition was a large factor in contributing to the Great Depression. As you know illegal money can't be taxed. So, the US lost all of its income from taxing the production of alcohol. Losing that large source of income was a critical factor in the Great Depression. Of course, no American was pleased when our economy started to drop. People were losing their livelihoods to Prohibition. I highly doubt anyone who had a job in the alcohol industry supported an amendment that would cause them to lose their job. Would you?

The second reason Americans changed their minds about Prohibition was that there was a major spike in crime rates. Prohibition was the main factor in the creation of organized crime in the US. It also caused corruption in the US justice system. Cops and politicians were being bribed to look the other way at speakeasies and other illegal activities. Nobody wants to live in an area where they have to worry about seeing something they weren't supposed to see and being killed over it. If given the choice all people would choose to live where they feel safe.

Lastly, it was virtually impossible to enforce Prohibition. Alcohol was being illegally imported from European countries. The easiest way to import alcohol illegally was by water. The bootleggers had the help of the three-mile limit when smuggling alcohol in. The three-mile limit means that US officials couldn't interfere with the buying of alcohol outside of the 3-mile limit. Also, how can you expect good cops and politicians supposed to catch criminals when they are so outnumbered by corrupt officials?

In conclusion, America had more than enough cause to repeal the 18th Amendment. The US economy took a big hit. Crime rates were out of control. Also, Prohibition didn't stop the use of alcohol. It only made it illegal. After considering these points, you should be able to see why Americans decided that prohibition was doing more harm than good. Therefore, American or not anyone can see that America made a decision based on the effects of Prohibition. In the end, it all worked out. America recovered from the effects and we don't have the same problems that called for prohibition today.