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Impact Of Bootlegging And Organized Crime

Categories: History

  • Words: 1533

Published: Jun 12, 2024

 

 

BootLegging, also known as rum-running, is the illegal production, sale, and

 

transportation of alcoholic beverages. When Americans in the Midwest went to trade with native

 

Indians, they would conceal flasks of illegal alcohol in the tops of their boots, a practice known

 

as bootlegging that dates back to the 1880s. Although the Eighteenth Amendment to the United

 

States Constitution, which forbade the use of alcohol in any form from 1920 until it was repealed

 

by the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933, the phrase became part of the American lexicon at that

 

time. a rise in organized crime brought on by illegal alcohol production and sale, a rise in

 

smuggling, and a decrease in tax revenue.

 

The "noble experiment" was carried out to improve American health and sanitation, lower crime and corruption, address social issues, lower the tax burden brought on by prisons and poorhouses, and solve social problems. Because of this, it was prohibited to manufacture alcohol in the 1920s. Many people came to the conclusion that there was no other way to safeguard society against this threat than to outlaw the "drunkard-making business" because they believed there was a direct correlation between drunkenness and the rise in crime, poverty, and violence. "The manufacture of "spirituous or intoxicating liquors" not intended for medical or mechanical purposes was prohibited by the first state prohibition law, passed in Maine in 1851, and 13 of the 31 states had such laws by 1855. At that point, the average annual per-person alcohol consumption was around 1 gal. In order to prevent bootlegging, or the manufacture of alcohol, it

 

was forbidden in the 1920s.

 

The main reason selling alcohol was outlawed was because Prohibitionists tried to outlaw the sale of alcoholic beverages during the 19th century. They sought to repair what they perceived as a broken society plagued by alcohol-related issues like alcoholism, domestic violence, and saloon-based political corruption, led by pietistic Protestants. The Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution finally became effective after 20 years. S. Alcohol production and sales were forbidden after the Constitution was ratified in 1919. By reducing the amount of alcohol Americans drank, this law aimed to make the nation better. Sadly, it had the unintended effect of increasing crime and fostering the emergence of powerful criminals known as gangsters. The negative effects of alcohol consumption worried many Americans in the early 1900s. Alcohol abusers were viewed by reformers as a danger to their families, especially as husbands and fathers. These men might spend their paychecks on alcohol rather than family meals, it was believed. Or, after drinking, they might be violent or abusive verbally. Reformers argued that by controlling alcohol consumption, Americans could lessen poverty, juvenile delinquency, and a wide range of other social issues. But regrettably, it didn't work out that way; instead, it increased the number of bootleggers in the 1920s.

Finally, income tax and the introduction of national prohibition were the causes of the decline in tax revenue in the 1920s. As a result, the 18th Amendment outlawed the manufacture, importation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. As a result, the income tax made up the lost revenue. Since 1920 until 1933, National Prohibition was in effect. During the prosperous 1920s, income tax revenue assisted the federal government in running its operations. The 1929 stock market crash, however, caused a severe economic depression in the nation. Consequently, income tax revenue decreased. Government spending grew, on the other hand. The result was

 

that Prohibition cost the federal government $11 billion in lost tax revenue. The cost of enforcement was over $300 million. ".

As you can see, illegal alcohol production and sale have led to an increase in organized crime, smuggling, and a decrease in tax revenue. Prohibition was implemented to lessen crime and corruption, address social issues, lessen the tax burden brought on by prisons and poorhouses, and enhance health and sanitation in America. which may have taken a wrong turn, bringing about an increase in organized crime and bootlegging that lasted all the way into the 21st century.

 

Works Cited

 

Coren, Cina, MA. “Bootlegging.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, Mar. 2020.

 

 

“FEB 14 1929: The St Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago.” History Today, vol. 59, no. 2, Feb. 2009, p. 10.

 

 

Stransky, Tanner. “Boardwalk Empire.” Entertainment Weekly, no. 1120/1121, Sept. 2010, p. 111.

 

 

Heggerty, Captain. “The World in Dogs: 1920-1929 The Roaring Twenties.” Dog World, vol. 90, no. 2, Feb. 2005, pp. 26–29.

 

 

KENDALL, NANCY M. “Bootleg Means Banned.” Catholic Digest, vol. 72, no. 10, Sept. 2008, p. 98.

 

 

“DRINK UP: Prohibition Films.” Daily Mail, Dec. 2015, p. 36.

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