Failure of the 'noble Experiment'

The eighteenth Amendment that enforced alcohol prohibition, emerged from the efforts of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League. These advocates blamed all society's problems on alcohol from home violence to political corruption. It was perceived as America's national curse. Their goal was to purify the society by eliminating crime and related social problems.

But on the contrary, it only made things worse.

Federal agents were not prepared to deal with the huge number of bootleggers and speakeasies which grew considerably in numbers. Indeed, consumption was not illegal. Only the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol were. Drug stores were allowed to sell ‘medicinal whiskey' to treat almost everything; making it easier for speakeasies to operate under the disguise of being pharmacies. Things got out of control. Courts were crawling under Prohibition-related cases and agents were overwhelmed by the workload. It was easier to impose their authority in rural areas but in big cities, it was not the case. In New York alone, the estimated number of speakeasies was 30.000. As a consequence, organized crime rose tremendously. The market for illegal liquor distribution was flourishing. Gang activity became more and more prevalent. The most known example is the Chicago gangster Al Capone. He made an average of $60 million annually in alcohol sales from bootlegging and speakeasies' activities. His estimated wealth in 1927 was about $100 million. During that time, what was called gang violence was everywhere. The results were: corrupted politicians, murders, and destruction. People's safety was at stake.

By that time, prohibition lost its credibility. Then came the Great Depression with its load of economic turmoil and social problems that just made it worse. Lawmakers stated that the tax on alcohol was a needed governmental revenue. It could help revive the economy. People that were in the favor of the Wet movement,