I just remembered (and subsequently rewatched) a video about Prohibition I watched a few years ago, even before I went to college. It was something informative, funny, and enlightening, all at the same time. And it belongs to a channel on YouTube called Oversimplified. While the video is focused on American history more than an American Dream discussion, conclusions can be drawn.
My conclusions will be written in italicized text.

Starting in the late 1800’s alcohol across America was commonplace, to the point where just about every man who could afford it would spend their days drinking in bars or toting bottles around town. Naturally, as a vice, the excessive drinking would weigh down and harm American families, leading many women to stand against alcohol, forming the WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Movement) in 1874. They would pray in front of saloons and sing hymns across streets, their conviction strong enough to encourage many men to abstain and even cause some saloons to close their doors.
It could be argued that alcohol was an enemy of the American Dream at the time. As an addictive substance, men wasted the money they could’ve/would’ve spent on tending to their families. Whether or not the women of the WCTU had this goal in mind, they helped these drunk men sober up and remember their dreams.

The efforts of the WCTU inspired a group of people in Washington D.C. to take a stand against alcohol as well: The Anti-Saloon League, a political pressure group spearheaded by Wayne Wheeler in 1893. While the WCTU sought out multiple reforms including the outlawing of alcohol, the Anti-Saloon League only wanted to get rid of alcohol. And they were very effective at convincing people to outlaw drinking, crafting points against alcohol catered to everyone; Factory owners and factory workers, African Americans and racist whites, everyone agreed that alcohol was evil. And those who disagreed, or even showed any support for alcohol, would be replaced.

World War I would greatly improve the league’s efforts, with the United States standing against Germany – a major source of the U.S’ alcohol at the time, or at least it was. During the war, a temporary prohibition was inflicted upon the States, and with the introduction of a new income tax, America could afford to make Prohibition law – no, an Amendment, the 18th Amendment in 1920.
It could be argued that some German brewers held an American Dream in profiting from their exports. That dream was dashed thanks to temperance movements at the time, formed by the then-American Dream of going dry. Wheeler must have been a powerful force, controlling the wills of many Americans during that time.

While Prohibition did notably reduce the consumption of alcohol at the time, there was nothing to fill the void left afterwards. Many Americans would find ways to bypass the laws, if not break them entirely. They found work-arounds like communal or prescription wines, legal products like Vine-Glo entered the market, speakeasies (hidden bars) formed across the country, and illegal alcohol production through illegal stills would run rampant across the country. Alcohol imports still occurred through rum-runners and boot-leggers, discretely selling drinks across the country. Despite becoming illegal, alcohol was still everywhere.

Attempts to enforce the law were mostly unsuccessful. Many officers weren’t sure how to enforce the poorly-worded law, assuming they weren’t smugglers themselves, or being bribed to keep their mouths shut. Those caught and fined in courts were given unreasonable sentences, and the fact that so many criminal cases were being created, judges opted to drop charges prematurely, causing genuine criminals to get away with their crimes. Because of the corruption in America’s enforcement, gangs would form and rule the streets of northern America.

A fair few smart individuals exploited this poorly enforced system, such as:

  • George Remus – A lawyer who established a “drug company” to steal alcohol from himself, selling his “stolen” gains. He got away with murdering his wife (who stole his belongings and ran away with another man after Remus was caught bribing an officer).
  • Al Capone – A gang leader with a high public profile, actively talking about his crimes and being praised for his exploits. He was practically invincible until he was caught for tax evasion in 1929.

While I doubt crime as an American Dream was new around this time, it was much more lucrative during Prohibition than it ever was, at least I’d assume. Crime involving alcohol, crime outside of alcohol, either way the country was corrupt and ripe for plundering. Basically the point of Lupsha’s “Suckers and Wiseguys” from Unit 1.

In the end, Prohibition did more harm than good, and movements were formed against the amendment because of it – notably the Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform, led by Pauline Sabin. Excessive violence, including events like the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, led many to protest against Prohibition. There was also the Great Depression starting in 1929, effectively the last straw for Prohibition’s persistence. It took until 1933 due to President Herbert Hoover’s inaction towards the issue – with the exception of Al Capone. Franklin Roosevelt, president after Hoover, finally repealed Prohibition after years of corruption and crime.

Overall, it’s become quite clear to me that the American Dream depends heavily on America’s circumstances at the time. And based on those circumstances, the means by which that dream was achieved varied greatly as well. This is arguably one of the (morally) worst examples of this variety.

OverSimplified: https://www.youtube.com/@OverSimplified
Prohibition: https://youtu.be/AAGIi62-sAU?si=oS_0o51-h_x9zoRc