Prohibition and Its Consequences

The enactment of the 18th Amendment in 1919 was the result of years of lobbying from national religious and temperance groups, as well as from individual petitions to the government. While enacted to protect individuals and families from the scourge of drunkenness, the Act had unintended consequences.

You will study the artifacts and decide whether Prohibition was government protection of the individual and family, or unwarranted intrusion into people’s private lives by the U.S. government.