What was National Prohibition?

National Prohibition was when the United States of America banned the transportation, sale, and production of liquor.  This was done by way of the 18^th amendment to the constitution on January 16, 1919.  The actual Prohibition didn’t start until 1920, but many people ignored the warning signs.

Soon, one of America's greatest industries was completely wiped off the face of the country, or was it?  Many saloons (what bars were called before prohibition) kept on operating during prohibition.  Soon, the industry was reaching profits that it could have never before achieved because of the status given to it by being banned (in other words, because it was illegal it became the cool thing to do).

Organized crime grew rapidly and mass killings and gang wars were fought over the trickling supply of liquor.  This was the era of gangsters, including the most famous gangster of all, Al Capone.

Music and other media also changed during National Prohibition, ushering in jazz.  Gangster movies soon became the most popular genre of film, reflecting the careless lawbreaking of the time.  Political cartoons became much more frequent than in subsequent days, showing both sides of the Prohibition issue.

After a long period of torment and shame for the government, the politicians finally realized the error of their ways and ended National Prohibition, but not before it left a profound stain in the history of our nation.  This site will show the origins and effects of National Prohibition and outline why Prohibition failed overall.