Essay about Prohibition in the United States - 1865 Words

Prohibition in the United States There was once a time when an individual could not sit down and have a beer or mixed alcoholic drink legally after a long days work. At this time our American Government felt we needed to reduce drinking by eliminating the businesses that manufactured, distributed, imported, exported and sold intoxicating liquor. This was called Prohibition. By the 1820s people in the United States were drinking an average of 27 liters (7 gallons) of pure alcohol per person each year. Political and religious leaders were beginning to associate alcohol consumption with the rising coincidence of crime, poverty, and violence. They believed the only way to protect society from this†¦show more content†¦Around 1638 America noticed that liquor laws could do more than just control consumption, they could provide a new source of revenue. By the 18th century liquor laws were concentrated on fines, excise taxes, and license fees. Fines were given for drunken behavior, unlawful sales to someone who was intoxicated, sales to Indians, and selling without a license. Licenses usually had their own fees and excise taxes were imposed on distilled spirits, beer, and fermented drink in many cases. Court records indicate that these laws were regularly enforced (Krout 29-30). John Adams wrote about his concern for the public regarding the effects of liquor in his diary on February 29, 1760,he wrote that taverns were becoming the eternal huant of loose, disorderly peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Cherrington 37). In 1791 a tax was enacted as part of the revenue act. The next year the Second Congress of the United States added license fees for distilleries and taxes on liquors distilled from imported materials. Some were not happy about these new laws which started the so-called Whisky rebellion. Upset about this federal action, farmers in Western Pennsylvania mobbed revenue collectors and armed themselves to avoid this intrusion by the new Federal Government. It required 15,000 militia to bring this Whisky Rebellion to an end (Peterson 119-120). The federal taxes on distilling and importing spiritsShow MoreRelatedProhibition in the United States909 Words   |  4 Pagesday at work, you like to relax with a glass of wine, or maybe even bourbon. Without the ratification of the 21st Amendment, the people of the United States wouldn’t be able to enjoy any alcoholic beverages. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1919, outlawing the sale of alcoholic beverages and brining in the period known as Prohibition. At the time, the top Prohibitionist in Congress stated: â€Å"There is as much chance as repealing the Eighteenth Amendment as there is for a hummingbirdRead MoreProhibition Of The United States1912 Words   |  8 PagesKlintworth Prohibition in the United States â€Å"Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man s appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not crimes.† Even though Abraham Lincoln lived about a half-century before Prohibition took effect in the 1920s, he described it quite well. The legislation essentially took alcohol, which had been a part of people’s lives since history of cultures were reported and made it illegal overnight. While Prohibition didRead MoreProhibition in the United States764 Words   |  3 PagesProhibition in the United States was a built up reaction to alcohol and illicit drugs from the Temperance and other religious organizations beginning in the 1840s and intensifying during the Reconstruction Period. By using increasing pressure on legislators, lobbying through Churches and, of course, embarrassing public officials into a stance, these organizations forced the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in January 1919. This law prohibited the manufacture, sale, orRead MoreProhibition Of The United States777 Words   |  4 PagesResponse Prohibition in the United States occurred as a result of the Eighteenth Amendment, which was passed on January 17th, 1920. Prohibitions lasted approximately 13 years and ended with the ratifications of the Twenty-First Amendment which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment on December 5th, 1933. Prohibitions did not yield any benefits for the average American, in fact I believe it hindered both men and women in economic, political and social ways. The main proponents of Prohibition were womenRead MoreEssay on Prohibition in the United States1500 Words   |  6 PagesProhibition created more crime because it was leading to corruption and the â€Å"cure† was worse than the original problem (Sifakis 725). The number of crimes increased during the Prohibition which caused organized crime to be very â€Å"popular†. Many criminal groups had a regular income of money through illegal actions such as drinking and selling alcohol (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Alcohol increased the organized crimes during Prohibition through loopholes in the 18th Amendment, speakeasiesRead MoreProhibition And Its Effects On The United States1661 Words   |  7 PagesWhen personal choice is withdrawn from individuals and prohibition is implemented to control natural human behavior, the hypocrisy that many preach the United States as being a free society and a nation of tolerance seems to deteriorate when politicians see any opp ortunity to capitalize on the masses without regard. Yet even after alcohol prohibition and fighting an endless war on drugs, history still repeats itself over and over again while the taxpayer is left with the bill. Responsible and recreationalRead MoreEffects Of Prohibition On The United States1272 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States has been actively engaged in a ‘war’ for nearly 25 years. At the heart of this struggle is the fundamental question: Is this a battle the United States can win? Many sources, such as whitehouse.gov, make the claim that drug laws are working Instead, it has created a military police force, reinforced a violent black market, discouraged safe drug usage, and done little to actually reduce drug use. In order to reduce these problems as much as possible, the United States hasRead MoreThe Prohibition Of Marijuana And The United States1559 Words   |  7 Pagesacross the U.S. during the 1900’s and has remained illegal ever si nce, until recent years when states began legalizing it (huffpost.com). Although many people believe that the reason behind the prohibition of cannabis was based on genuine concern for the possible consequences it may have on the well-being of people if it remained accessible to all, the truth is that the drive behind the U.S.’s prohibition of cannabis was founded on racism. During the early 1900’s cannabis was considered an â€Å"ethnicRead MoreThe Drug Prohibition Of The United States Of America1629 Words   |  7 PagesThe cohorts of drug prohibition argue that the benefits of the prohibition are self-evident and undeniable. The basis of this assumption argument is that without prohibition the consumption of drug would skyrocket, and therefore, lead to disastrous outcomes. However, there is no evidence on the commonly held belief. The empirical evidence that exists does not support the notion of souring drug consumption. For instance, in the Netherland and Switzer land, where marijuana is legalized, the consumptionRead MoreWhy The Prohibition Is The Era Of The United States852 Words   |  4 PagesOn January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the constitution of the United States of America took effect. The 18th Amendment had been ratified a year earlier, banning â€Å"the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors†(Okrent, 1) within the United States and its territories. This new decade is called the Prohibition. The prohibition is the era of bizarre and engaging images of speakeasies, intoxicated flappers dancing the Charleston, bootleggers, and mobsters protecting illegal trades

Alfred Kinsey s Research On Sexual Orientation - 901 Words

Alfred Kinsey’s extensive research into sexual orientation has brought about some of the greatest and perhaps most controversial findings of the 20th century. His findings range from sexual activities to sexual orientation, including â€Å"facts† that were considered shocking at the time of their publication, such as 10% of men are gay and almost half men have had adulterous affairs, etc. Not only have they changed the ways people view sex and sexual ethnics in the U.S., but these findings are also still deeply embedded in the public imagination. However, a closer look at the great man’s research reveals some major flaws. Even though nobody has yet been able to replicate the research due to its magnitude, in the 21st century, we have other approaches to explore the same field, the results of which both confirm and challenge Alfred Kinsey’s findings. To begin with, Kinsey is known to be a famously flawed icon because of his problematic research sampling. It is said to be not representative of the population at the time since he mostly interviewed volunteers, who were apparently more open in sexual-related topic – perhaps because they had sex lives. In the 1990s, Edward Laumann of the University of Chicago, who conducted a similar research, smaller scale yet more reliable than Kinsey’s. His findings state that less than 5% of men are gay (half of Kinsey’s figure) and only 25 percent of married men (and roughly 15 percent of married women) reported having had extramarital sex.Show MoreRelatedOpen Marriages Are A Form Of Relationship1043 Words   |  5 PagesOpen marriages are a form of relationship first brought into the public eye by Alfred Kinsey in the 1960s. Since then, the idea of approved extra-martial affairs have become even more popular, despite the uneducated critics hollering about it being an insul t to the institution of marriage, or a way to justify cheating on one’s significant other. As open marriages start to become a more feasible option for couples looking to explore their sexuality, a common question always seems to come up; thisRead MoreHomosexuality And Its Effects On Society Essay1650 Words   |  7 Pagesdebated whether or not homosexuality is a choice that one freely makes, while others believe a combination of genetics, hormones and environment have a factor in one’s sexuality and sexual development. Homosexuality is something one cannot choose to be. Primarily, homosexuality can be defined as a romantic or sexual attraction that involves people of the same gender. Male homosexuals are referred to as gays while the female ones are called lesbians. Ideally, since time immemorial, there have beenRead MoreHomosexuality And Its Effects On Society2470 Words   |  10 Pagesprecise fact that Romans 3:23 points out, â€Å"for all have sinned and fall sh ort of the glory of God,† Humanity has been cursed with being genetically embedded with sin and a sinful nature. The current worldview is that homosexuality and multiple sexual orientations come from nature, and not nurture. This viewpoint is correct in that it is human nature to sin and seek out one’s own selfish desire. However, No one is prescribing a remedy for this sin. â€Å"Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning;Read MoreHomosexuality: Inborn Trait or a Choice991 Words   |  4 Pagesmaking people prone to believe things that aren’t true. Many fall victim to this reality, resulting in feelings of animosity and prejudice with little or nothing to back it up. This hatred often has to do with race, religion, gender, politics or sexual orientation. As you know one can’t just go and change his or her skin tone or gender. It isn’t as if one was asked to be white, black, Hispanic, Native American exc., nor female or male. This is just the way the person was born. Seeing it from this pointRead MoreWhat Causes Homosexuality996 Words   |  4 Pagesanother. What is Sexual Orientation? The American Psychological Association defines sexual orientation as such: Sexual orientation is an enduring emotional, romantic, sexual, or affectional attraction that a person feels toward another person. Sexual orientation falls along a continuum. In other words, someone does not have to be exclusively homosexual or heterosexual, but can feel varying degrees of attraction for both genders. Sexual orientation develops across a person s lifetime—differentRead MoreHomosexuality: Nature or Nurture1209 Words   |  5 PagesIn Ryan D. Johnson’s online research article, Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture, an explanation of homosexuality is broken down so the world has a better understanding of homosexuals. As referred to in the title, the origin of homosexuality has been debated to be because of nature or nurture. Basically, are people gay because it’s their personal choice or is it just who they are? The idea behind nurture is that the way one was raised can eventua lly affect a child’s sexual preference. In the firstRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal And The Normalization Of Homosexuality1422 Words   |  6 Pagesaware of their sexual orientation between middle childhood and early adolescence (2008). They are ware of the emotional, romantic, and physical attraction they can recognize their sexual orientation without participating in sexual activity. Alfred Kinsey was the first to conceptualize sexuality as more than just heterosexuality and homosexuality. There is no scientific reasons as to why an individual identifies as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual orientation. Although, research have been conductedRead MoreSexual Orientation : Sex And Gender1783 Words   |  8 PagesToday I will be weighing in on the essentialism vs constructioni^^^sm debate on sexual orientation. Before I proceed further I must define sexual orientation which in turn needs me to define sex and gender. What is sexual orientation? There is the behavioral where one’s sexual orientation is defined by the sex of the person that he or she has sex with. If one has sex with a person of the same sex then they are homosexual and if they have sex with someone from the different sex then they are heterosexualRead MoreEssay about Human Sexuality2060 Words   |  9 Pagescategory â€Å"X† of Alfred Kinsey’s scale of human sexuality. Listed as nothing more than a footnote in Kinseys 1948 path breaking volume Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, category X represents the sexual minority known as asexuals, who, according to Kinseys original description, are people who experience no socio-sexual response† (Kinsey 658). In the time since Kinsey published this work, however, the asexual community has come to describe themselves as people who do not feel sexual attraction toRead MoreThe American Psychiatric Association Eliminated Homosexuality As A Metal Disorder1734 Words   |  7 PagesA famous quote from Alfred Kinsey who was the one who started more depth research of sexuality and made others aware during the 1940’s and 1950’s that being a homosexual was not weird but natural. He once said, â€Å"Males do not represent two discrete populations, heterosexual and homosexual. The world is not to be divided into sheeps and goats. Not all things are black nor all things white†. Cleary, Kinsey is trying to state that there are all different species in the world but, everything shall not

Safety on Public Transportation Free Essays

One of the major features of any developed society is mass mobility. In order for man to fulfill his obligation put food on his table, man has to move around. Thus mobility is an essential aspect of human life. We will write a custom essay sample on Safety on Public Transportation or any similar topic only for you Order Now Man has to move from one destination to another. Elementary Science has described this as a natural feature of human beings. Over the years, the growth of technology as made for variables when it comes to human transportation. One of such means of transportation is public transportation. Although transportation is a necessity to most people in America, it will be alarming to note that Americans spend more trying to meet up with their daily needs. Compared to other countries in the world, an average American spends more to move around. As part of the government’s efforts to ensure a better standard of living for the citizen, the public transport system is an initiative of the government tailored towards reduction of the price incurred on transportation by Americans. Therefore, Americans now have a choice which provides a greater freedom. However, as commendable as this initiative is, Public Transportation has its good and bad sides. There are some dangers that one is open to when one takes a public transport. To begin with, the security and privacy one enjoys when one is moving around in one’s private car is better than when we are moving around in public transport. Statistics have shown that people moving around in public transportation are susceptible to insecurity than those transporting privately. On the issue of crime in public transportation, the police department and other organizations have given tips on how to avoid crime in public transportation. For all I care, the next person to you might be a serial killer or the lousy old woman might actually be planning to steal your wallet. At this point, one will be unfair not to admit that public transportation has had a lot of positive impact on the pockets of Americans. With the insistent rise in the prices of gasoline in America, public transportation has being a good alternative for the people of America. At least it has helped save more money that should have been used in the purchase of gasoline. It is also effective and reliable. The next time you are about to meet an appointment and you want to go by public transportation, make sure you have it at the back of your mind that although some dollars will be saved, there is the risk of falling a victim. Therefore, be vigilant and alert! How to cite Safety on Public Transportation, Papers