The Causes of Prohibition and Its Effects on America

The passage of the 18th amendment represents nearly a century of agitation for temperance laws. There were a number of factors that affected the ideas of the Americans of the time, and so eventually when enough support was gained for temperance the 18th amendment was finally passed. Here are the events that led to prohibition and the effect that prohibition had on America, especially in the big cities.
The temperance movement really began in 1866 when an English Physician named Sir Benjamin Ward-Richardson disproved the myth that alcohol keeps the body warm. This discovery, combined with a number of other discoveries concerning alcohol helped to stir up some support for the temperance movement.
Another factor affecting the minds of Americans was the large scale pressure put on the Presidents and Congresses of the time by the United States Brewers Association, or the USBA. …