ProhibitionProhibition (1920–1933) was a ban on the production, sale, and transporting of alcoholic beverages in the United States. It came about as a result of late-19th-century temperance movements and was an attempt to address some of the social ills in American society. However, Prohibition turned out to be difficult to enforce. And rather than addressing the roots of America's social problems, Prohibition made them worse by encouraging illegal activity and ushering in an era of organized crime and gang violence.