Background
The Temperance Movement begin in the 1820s, and
focused eliminating  the
use of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol consumption was seen as an
amoral vice, particularly due to the rise of the saloon
industry. Saloons introduced gambling and prostitution in an
effort to entice customers and encourage them to drink more
alcohol. Conservatives and Christians were outraged by this
attack on orderly society.
In 1874, Frances Willard formed the Women's
Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) for the sole purpose of
encouraging the prohibition of alcohol consumption.
Prohibition is
Passed and Repealed
During the Progressive Era, the Eighteenth
Amendment was passed in 1919. This banned the manufacture,
sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States.
However, America did not stop drinking during the 1920s. In
fat if Prohibition was designed to stop amoral behavior it
backfired. Bootlegging, the illegal manufacturing and
selling of alcohol became incredibly profitable as underground
bars called speakeasies stocked up on booze for their clientele.
Bootlegging became its own criminal enterprise leading the establishment
of organized crime with the likes of Al Capone in
Chicago.
Finally in 1933, the Twenty-first Amendment was
passed which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, ending
Prohibition.
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