It was in 1917 that Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment to amend the Constitution, which prohibited the export, import, manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States. States. This law sparked rebellion by American citizens across the country; many people believed that this law violated their right to live according to their own standards. The implementation of the 18th Amendment created a large number of bootleggers capable of supplying the public with illegal alcohol. Many of these bootleggers became very wealthy and influential through selling alcohol, gambling, and other methods. The Prohibition era allowed organized crime to flourish and these practices are still used today. Thus, Prohibition led to the rapid growth of organized crime. Public reaction to the introduction of Prohibition was largely mixed. The Prohibition era was thought to mark the end of alcohol in America and would spark a new and greater society in America. People believed it would significantly reduce alcohol-related crime and domestic violence. Stephanie Shaw, founder of the Anti Saloon League, and the Women's Christian's Temperance Union helped pressure men to become "dry" by often praying in front of saloons. These two groups ultimately helped convince Congress to pass the 18th Amendment. Temperance organizations such as the WTCU were therefore relieved to know that their mission goal was a success. However, not everyone saw it that way; they believed it was a violation of their freedom of expression. When prohibition began the outraged public demanded that the ban on alcohol be lifted, if they couldn't achieve this they would try an alternative solution...... middle of paper ....the funds he had acquired through his smuggling operations, he was able to ensure that his friends were elected to certain political offices, which in turn amplified his control over Chicago and which ensured its security to solicit money for his alcohol. Finally, after a decade of prohibition, alcohol was finally made legal again by the Twenty-first Amendment in December 1933. But the damage was done, prohibition led to organized crime, as we know it today. . Men like Al Capone got their start during Prohibition and were able to develop a system whose methods led to the mafia and other forms of modern crime. Organized crime grew due to the restriction of alcohol consumption and the only reason crime increased in America was because the public allowed it. If the Prohibition Era had never happened, gangs would not have been as powerful as they became..