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Prohibition

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The Role of Prohibition and its Fluidity The American Dream during the 1920’s was truly wonderful to Americans, and to some, was only a dream. This “dream” had just about everything someone needed to live an exciting and happy life. Money would not always be a problem. However, there was one thing missing from their lives that caused uproar. That would be the absence of alcohol in the daily lives of Americans. Prohibition, or the Eighteenth Amendment in the Constitution, made the production and consumption of alcohol illegal. Those who added this Amendment believed that alcohol was entirely bad thing. All it did was create problems, and to get rid of the source of it (being alcohol) would solve and prevent them. Sadly, that did not happen. Widespread law breaking and violence were two of the handful of issues created by this deprivation of alcohol. It was a law that had good intention, but ceased to be successful due to Americans’ strong desire for “some” unnecessary drinks. Prohibition was hoped to be beneficial to all of the Americans. It was the idea of saving America from sadness and sin that ended up with the creation of the Eighteenth Amendment. Looking at it from this point of view can make many people nod their head in agreement when said that Prohibition was a beneficial and overall positive thing. If it was thought to aid America and save it from any kind of harm, then people would never think of it as a hindrance to their enjoyment of life. However, the result seemed to be quick. Consumption of alcohol was not anything new. It was a part of American daily life because it was drank for literally breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Something so common and popular became illegal. Instead of Prohibition doing people any good, it lead to violence and law breaking. As stated in the book review of “Dry Manhattan”, 7 May 2007, “illegal alcohol fostered graft, organized crime, and violence.” The prohibition on alcohol caused many people to illegally obtain the commodity. Speakeasies, or establishments that illegally sell alcohol, started to spread like wildfire. Buildings would be disguised as regular shops such as drugstores, but were these speakeasies behind the scenes. Also in the review, it was stated that: The city’s immigrant and working class populations . . . resisted in great numbers by distilling their own alcohol and frequenting speakeasies. As the promotion of temperance groups grew, other groups opposed the increased alcohol restriction. These oppositions often led to fights. Mob violence became more common. Al Capone, a famous American gangster, was responsible for being dedicated to the smuggling and bootlegging of liquors. Many people were doing bootlegging business in secret. Speakeasies were kept quiet about, discussed privately. Not all individuals were partaking in these activities. Some who used to consume alcohol decided to switch to illegal drugs. People would use opium, marijuana, and cocaine. Patent medicines might have been abused because of alcohol as an ingredient in them. Other dangerous substances could have been an option since they would have been unlikely to be obtained during the absence of Prohibition. So basically, the eighteenth amendment was taken advantage of by many to use illegal drugs in replacement of alcohol since all the attention seemed to be taken away from them. Author of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, includes Prohibition in his novel. While the topic is not specifically addressed, it plays a major role in the success of Jay Gatsby. This man became extremely wealthy from bootlegging. Early in the story, you are given hints as foreshadows. “‘He’s a bootlegger,’ said the young ladies…” (61). His methods of obtaining his wealth wasn’t impressing, nor was it ideal during the time of the story. Tom Buchanan, one of the characters, says his thoughts on Gatsby to the main character, Nick. “’A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know.’” (107). The man Gatsby used his wealth in a specific way for one purpose. He hosted parties in his mansion for anyone to join. He never gave out invitations. The word about the events would spread quickly. The one major goal of Gatsby’s was to hopefully have Daisy, his one true love, to show up at a party. If she did that, he hoped to reconcile with her by telling her everything. Everything about him was done for her. He realized that bootlegging was the best way, even though it was illegal, to become very wealthy. Through this process of working, Jay Gatsby used his enormous wealth shape himself and his home in a way Daisy would hopefully like. If Daisy was satisfied, he was satisfied. Gatsby waited many years to have her close in his life again. The roots of all of his plans go all the way back to Prohibition. The eighteenth amendment made the production, sales, and consumption of alcohol illegal, causing a mess. People took advantage of that to get themselves into the bootlegging business creating potential immense profit. He risked himself by violating Prohibition to partake in this bootlegging. All of this was done to impress the person he loved, Daisy. He didn’t want her to worry about money whatsoever. Problems involving it would be nonexistent. Daisy would have a life without any worries thanks to Gatsby, in the eyes of Gatsby, that is. I believe Prohibition was used in this novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald because it was a key factor in allowing Jay Gatsby to have been where he was. Thanks to Prohibition in the plot, he was able to earn his money through bootlegging. As I previously mentioned, prohibition was a law that had good intention, but ceased to be successful due to Americans’ strong desire for “some” unnecessary drinks. Gatsby’s “desire for a drink” wasn’t exactly the alcohol, but Daisy. I believe he took advantage of the illegal value of alcohol to give him success. Prohibition, the eighteenth amendment, was a failure that hindered the American Dream to many. Americans used the law for their success, but under high risk.

Works Cited “Prohibition: America Makes Alcohol Illegal.” Cobblestone Apr. 2006: 44. Student Resources in Context. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. Thorton, Mark. "Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure." Cato Institute. N.p., 17 Jul 1991. Web. 13 Dec 2013. “Dry Manhattan.” The New Yorker 7 May 2007: 74 Student Resources in Context. Web. 14. Dec. 2013.

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