Prohibition and its moral and ethnic effects on rural americ

Was Rural America successful in imposing its codes of morality and ethics on Urban America during Prohibition?

During the early 1900's America was in the grip of a strict set of morals and values that dated back to Queen Victoria. This code was called the Victorian Standard, and it was clearly followed and held in high esteem by most people. In fact it was seen as the American way. However, the people of the 1920's would witness its demise. People began to drink more, gamble, women's dresses became shorter and their actions were sometimes more dishonorable, jazz houses and speakeasies sprang up, and the list goes on. It was a decade of great change.

The 1920's was a time of major social change in the United States. The social changes during this period are reflected in the laws and regulations that were implemented. One of the most prominent examples of this was prohibition. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution, or the Volstead act as it is also known, was implemented to eliminate the sale, manufacturing and consumption of alcohol in the United States. In doing this, the advocates of prohibition hoped to also eliminate the social problems assoc

Was Rural America able to impose their lifestyle and beliefs on those in Urban America? I believe that the Rural Americans attempt, through prohibition to impose their moral and values on others was unsuccessful. On all accounts prohibition was a failure, the only beneficiaries of Prohibition were bootleggers, crime bosses, and the forces of big government. Soon however, all Americans, Rural and Urban were faced by a more serious threat - the collapse of the economy and the beginning of the worst depression ever in American history.

Because of the growth of cities brought by immigration and internal migration, a sharpening divide grew between urban and rural areas. Sophisticated city dwellers began to look at their country cousins as hicks or bumpkins, while those in the farm belts viewed the cities as places of corruption, immorality and outside influences. For example, Prohibition was probably followed more in what was called the "Bible Belt" than in New York and Chicago, although moon shining prospered in the rural woods.

There were many cultural changes which had great effects on the nation. The 1920s, in complete contrast to the Victorian era, "roared," as bathtub gin flowed and more and more Americans moved to urban areas. But the decade also saw limited prosperity for many, especially farmers, and the unrest and discor

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