Question

When did rates of crime, premarital sex, and alcohol use increase in America? When did all of this drop sharply?

a) Rates increased during the 19th century and dropped sharply during the Prohibition era.
b) Rates increased during the 1920s and dropped sharply during the Great Depression.
c) Rates increased during the 1960s and dropped sharply during the 1980s.
d) Rates increased during the 1950s and dropped sharply during the 1990s.

Answer 1

Rates of crime, premarital sex, and alcohol use increased during the 1920s in America. The sharp decline in these rates occurred in the 1980s due to conservative campaigns and policy changes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Rates of Crime, Premarital Sex, and Alcohol Use in America

When evaluating changes in social behaviors such as crime rates, premarital sex, and alcohol consumption, it is clear that these rates increased notably during the 1920s. This period, known as the Jazz Age, saw young people in big cities embrace more permissive moralities compared to previous generations. The emergence of new social norms was apparent in the booming nightclub scene, despite Prohibition laws that made alcohol illegal. As a result, illegal bootlegging flourished, pointing to a societal shift towards leniency and rebellion against traditional strictures.

However, this trend of increased rates did not drop sharply until later. The 1960s witnessed further spikes in such behaviors, influenced by various cultural and societal shifts. It wasn't until the 1980s that there was a notable decline. During this era, initiatives like the "Just Say No" campaign and other conservative efforts began to address the issues of drug abuse and crime, impacting associated social behaviors and rates.

In summary, while there was a rise in crime, premarital sex, and alcohol use during the 1920s, these rates didn't sharply decline until the political and social campaigns of the 1980s began to reverse some of the earlier trends.