Alcohol Prohibition in the United StatesMichael DerbesAlcohol prohibition began in 1919 when Congress passed the 18th Amendment; the 18th Amendment prohibited the sale, transportation, and manufacture of alcohol. The ban went into effect largely because of the temperance movement. The temperance movement was a major anti-alcohol movement that began in the 1830s. Many people saw alcohol as something that destroyed marriages and ruined people's lives. Several groups formed to fight for Prohibition such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union or WCTU. The WCTU worked to pass local laws banning alcohol. The WCTU initially failed to do so, but spread the word throughout the country about the need for Prohibition. The WCTU created an anti-alcohol education program that has been implemented in most schools across the country. A man named Wayne B. Wheeler created the Anti-Saloon League, or ASL. The ASL had great success thanks to Wayne B. Wheeler; he created alliances with almost everyone. The ASL formed alliances with the NAACP, the Klu Klux Klan, Democrats, Republicans, International Workers of the World, suffragists, and Populists. The ASL would join anyone who supported their movement. The ASL had the goal of an amendment banning the sale of alcohol, and in 1919 it was passed. The United States entered World War I in 1917, that same year President Woodrow Wilson created a temporary ban. Woodrow Wilson was able to save grain so the government could send more to the troops. That same year the amendment was drafted. In 1919, the 18th Amendment was passed. The 18th Amendment prohibits the sale, transportation, and manufacture of alcohol. The 18th Amendment took a year to… halfway through the document… the proposal had a very negative effect on the economy. Many states relied heavily on alcohol taxation; the federal government lost eleven billion dollars during Prohibition, while enforcing Prohibition cost three hundred million dollars. Although it had a lot of support, millions of people still disagreed with the law. People did not take the law seriously; he banned something they had always done so that law-abiding citizens wouldn't feel guilty about breaking the law. In 1929 the Great Depression began, and by 1932 the potential jobs that could be created by the return of the liquor industry were too tempting. When Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for office, he promised an end to Prohibition. Roosevelt won the election and in 1933 the 21st Amendment was ratified, the 21st Amendment nullifies the 18th Amendment making the production, sale and transportation of alcohol legal again.