Alcohol ProhibitionBy: Sam MaggertAlcohol prohibition was called "The Noble Experiment." (Thornton) Alcohol prohibition existed from 1920 to 1933. When the government passed the 18th amendment it caused a dramatic increase in the crime rate because citizens thought it was their right to consume. After the American Revolution, drinking was on the rise. To combat this, a number of societies were organized as part of a new Temperance movement which attempted to dissuade people from getting drunk. Initially, these organizations promoted moderation, but after several decades the movement's focus shifted toward complete prohibition of alcohol consumption. (Brayton) By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a fixture in communities across the United States. Women played an important role in the temperance movement, as alcohol was seen as a destructive force in families and marriages. In 1906 a new wave of attacks on liquor sales began, led by the Anti-Saloon League (founded in 1893) and driven by a reaction to urban growth as well as the rise of evangelical Protestantism and its vision of saloon culture. as corrupt and wicked. Additionally, many factory owners supported Prohibition out of a desire to prevent accidents and increase the efficiency of their workers in an era of increased industrial production and long working hours. (History.com Staff) The Temperance movement blamed alcohol for many of society's ills, particularly crime and murder. Saloons, a social refuge for men living in the still-wild West, were seen by many, especially women, as a place of debauchery and wickedness. Prohibition, members of the Temperance movement urged, would prevent husbands from spending all of their family income on a… paper medium… necessary to sell alcohol, and those who did still had difficulty obtaining alcohol. serve. Some legal establishments have been forced to purchase directly from speakeasies and bootleggers. Others opened leftover supplies from the pre-Prohibition days as well as bottles purchased in later years with medicinal clearances. (Brayton)President Roosevelt helped end Prohibition. In 1933, widespread disillusionment (disappointment) led Congress to ratify the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition. Prohibition did not achieve its goals; instead, it added to the problems it was supposed to solve. They believed that prohibition would reduce the number of deaths, divorces, accidents and poverty. This is ironic because the prohibitionists' original plan failed and did exactly the opposite. The results of the experiment clearly indicate failure on all fronts. (Thornton)