--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans—those who liked or needed…" description: "\"“Americans—those who liked or needed alcohol—had the same desire to drink and were still able, and the country´s criminals grew prosperous due to the a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/charles-river-editors-1165_money_americans-those-who-liked-or-needed-alco_2798126.jpg" --- # Americans—those who liked or needed alcohol—had the same… ![“Americans—those who liked or needed alcohol—had the same desire to drink and were still able, and the country´s criminals grew prosperous due to the amount of money in the trade of illegal alcohol manufacture, import, and sale. “Intended to create a nation of hardworking, sober, responsible…” quote by Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/charles-river-editors-1165_money_americans-those-who-liked-or-needed-alco_2798126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/charles-river-editors-1165_money_americans-those-who-liked-or-needed-alco_2798126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/915/charles-river-editors-1165_money_americans-those-who-liked-or-needed-alco_2798126.jpg) > ““Americans—those who liked or needed alcohol—had the same desire to drink and were still able, and the country´s criminals grew prosperous due to the amount of money in the trade of illegal alcohol manufacture, import, and sale. “Intended to create a nation of hardworking, sober, responsible citizens, Prohibition instead quickly transformed a nation of basically law-abiding citizens into a nation of lawbreakers.” (Phillips, 2005).”” [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prohibition aimed to create sober citizens but instead fostered illegal trade and lawbreaking, showing unintended consequences of moral legislation. **In simple terms:** Prohibition backfired, creating crime. Key Takeaway Anticipate policy side effects. Themes law society history Mood critical instructive Type historical policy When to use this quote - legislation drafting - social reform - crime prevention Key Concepts public policy unintended consequences Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives could achieve sobriety without crime? - How can policymakers predict unintended effects? A Different Perspective Moral goals may clash with practical outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alcohol Manufacture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol-manufacture-3428245/) [Americans Liked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-liked-3428243/) [Citizens Prohibition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens-prohibition-3428242/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Prohibition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prohibition/) [Prohibition Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prohibition-instead-3428244/) ## Related quotes > [“Thunder Road” became a codename for particular routes everyone knew through the main thoroughfares. 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Above all, there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/there-was-also-a-deliberate-exploitation-of-prejudiced-mentalities/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [“The United States had one year to prepare for Prohibition from its ratification on January 16, 1919, and in those 12 months, many people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/the-united-states-had-one-year-to-prepare-for-prohibition-from-its/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [“The support many Progressives lent to Prohibition reflected that naiveté, and though the Progressive Movement began to dissipate during World War I, Prohibition can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/the-support-many-progressives-lent-to-prohibition-reflected-that/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [“According to Levi and Heller, "by the 1920s Cuba had become a haven for revelers escaping American Prohibition against alcohol, horse racing, boxing, gambling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/according-to-levi-and-heller-by-the-1920s-cuba-had-become-a-haven-for/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [By pretending that convention is Nature, that disobeying a personal prohibition is a medical illness, they establish themselves as agents of social control and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/by-pretending-that-convention-is-nature-that-disobeying-a-personal/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/a-prohibition-law-strikes-a-blow-at-the-very-principles-upon-which/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“First-order consequences of Prohibition: alcohol is made illegal, legitimate producers of alcohol go out of business, decrease in drinking.   Second-order consequences of Prohibition:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/first-order-consequences-of-prohibition-alcohol-is-made-illegal/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [The unconscious is the ocean of the unsayable, of what has been expelled from the land of language, removed as a result of ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-unconscious-is-the-ocean-of-the-unsayable-of-what-has-been/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“Canned breakfast juices had first appeared during Prohibition, motivated by grape growers who could no longer sell their products as wine, and by orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-taubes/canned-breakfast-juices-had-first-appeared-during-prohibition/) [Gary Taubes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-taubes/) > [All I kin git out o' the Wickersham position on prohibition is that the distinguished jurist seems to feel that if we'd let 'em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/all-i-kin-git-out-o-the-wickersham-position-on-prohibition-is-that/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [If you don't think drugs have done good things for us, then take all of your records, tapes and CD's and burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/if-you-don-t-think-drugs-have-done-good-things-for-us-then-take-all/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Obviously, the state's responsibility should be to legislate rules for a well-ordered society. 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