18Th Amendment

Research papers on the Eighteenth Amendment are custom written by the writers at Paper Masters and focus on the political aspects of this amendment. There are several topics that can be written on this constitutional amendment, these are just a few suggestions:

• How did the Eighteenth Amendment affect political parties?
• Who were the main political drivers behind the Eighteenth Amendment?
• Why did the Eighteenth Amendment get repealed?
• Who were the politicians that assisted in the reversal of the amendment?

In 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution made it illegal to consume alcohol in our country. However, by this time, many states had already become "dry." Thus, those who wanted to drink in these states had to rely upon illegal alcohol and bootleggers. Consequently, the making and selling of illegal alcohol already had begun by the time prohibition came into effect.

Is the Eighteenth Amendment Unreasonable?

Since there were many people who felt this law was unreasonable, it is no surprise that the making of the consumption of alcohol illegal did not mean that individuals quit drinking. What it meant was that individuals who wanted to drink found ways to do so. During this time, consumption of alcohol was legal in Canada. As a result, smuggling alcohol into the United States from Canada became very lucrative. In fact, in Detroit, which is in close proximity to Ontario, the illegal industry of selling alcohol was the second largest business in the area.

Interestingly, during this era, women, who were the initiators of prohibition, were also supporters of the illegal alcohol trade. In fact, drinking alcohol among women increased during this time almost in a defensive posture against the restrictions society had placed on them. In other words, by breaking the law with regard to prohibition, women felt empowered.

The Initiation of the Eighteenth Amendment

Thus, after the initiation of the Eighteenth Amendment, the demand for alcohol appeared to increase. Alcohol was much harder to buy than it was previously in that it was perceived that supply was less than the demand. This may have not been true. "The Eighteenth Amendment had been in effect fewer than eight months when authorities found a still with a daily capacity of 130 gallons near Austin, Texas, on a farm belonging to Morris Shepard, the 'Father of National Prohibition'". Realistic figures in terms of the amount of alcoholic consumption before, during, and after prohibition are difficult to obtain. This is because before prohibition, many states were already "dry" and people were drinking illegally. Since use of alcohol was illegal, it is also difficult to obtain accurate figures for the amount of people who drank during prohibition.