Signifying yet another social change in America...
The Anti-Saloon League |
In a strict business world, saloons did whatever they could to keep their customers, including introducing prostitution and gambling as a regular thing in this already scandalous business.
|
Gangs take over the urban cities...Of course, whenever one illegalizes something, it turns into a new thing that only criminals can profit from, hence the new gang activity arising in the cities. Bootlegging, gambling, and prostitution were handled by these mobsters. If you needed to get anything illegal at the time, you went to a mob. The Italian mob is probably the most notorious, but there were many other mobs as well.
|
Illegal activity began to define this new generation... |
The ratifying of the 18th amendment had the opposite effect of what it intended. Rather than people realizing that saloons were sinful and should be avoided, it brought all types of people together in speakeasies, all sharing the same rebellious feelings. This led to the questioning of other laws, and whether they were truly in place for the citizens own good. Rather than trust the government, society turned to big business owners and successful men, including the never wealthier bootleggers.
|