Archive for August, 2011
Morality By Legislation
The 18th Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919 and went into effect on January 17, 1920. This law was designed to put an end to the abuse of alcoholic beverages and to usher in an age of sobriety to the United States of America. What really happened, however, was that the ratification of the amendment ushered in “The Roaring Twenties“, which were characterized in part by a disregard for the afore mentioned constitutional amendment, a proliferation of “speakeasies” and the rise of bootlegging and violent criminals willing to do what ever was necessary to provide alcohol to those who wished to imbibe in spite of the illegality of such an act. The fortunes to be made by the relatively simple process of fermentation and distillation drove many to extraordinary lengths to provide that which was prohibited, with utter disregard for the law. The “Nobel Experiment” came to an end with the ratification of the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933. Read the rest of this entry »
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