In 1917 was the historic moment when 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. This law sparked rebellion among American citizens across the nation; many people felt 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 who were able to supply illegal alcohol to the public. Many of these bootleggers became very rich and influential by selling alcohol, gambling and using other methods. The Prohibition era allowed organized crime to flourish, and these practices are still used today. Therefore, 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 that it would spark a new and greater society in America. People believed it would dramatically 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. Both of these groups eventually helped convince Congress to pass the 18th Amendment, so temperance organizations like WTCU were relieved to know that their mission goal was a success. However, not everyone saw it this 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 removed, if they failed to implement it they would try an alternative solution... middle of paper... funds he had acquired from his bootlegging operations, he was in able to ensure that his friends were elected to certain political positions, which in turn amplified his control over Chicago and which ensured his safety to solicit money for his liquor. 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 developed because of the restriction of alcohol and the only reason crime grew in America is because the public allowed it. If the Prohibition era had never arrived, the gangs would not have been as powerful as they became.