The Prohibition of Alcohol

The Prohibition of Alcohol was a national ban on the sale, consumption, and transportation of alcohol. This act was carried out from 1920-1933. The ban was first carried out when the 18th amendment was repealed in 1920. This period was a tough time for many Americans whose history had incorporated the use of alcohol. All of a sudden that tradition was discontinued, in theory at least. Even though alcohol was banned by law, people still found a way to import alcohol illegally. The fact that this product was illegal increased its demand. Alcohol had become out of reach to the average American. The rich upper-class however thought they could simply buy their way around the law and pay top dollar for black market alcohol.This product used to have a place in every American household but now became a luxury whose ownership simplely defined the socioeconomic class one belongs to. That was the case for Jay Gatsby. A party was not thrown without alcohol. That is the reason why he represented only a small percentage of the Americans who were millionaires who thought they were invincible because of their strong financial backbone.