The Prohibition Era
“Why don’t they pass a Constitutional amendment prohibiting anyone from learning
anything? If it works as well as prohibition did, in five years Americans would be the
smartest race of people on the Earth.”
Will Rogers
Cell Phone Simulation Questions
1) For those of you who have cell phones, etc...what were
your initial reactions? Tell me what you really thought.
2) Do you think people would’ve still brought cell phones to
school? Why or why not?
3) Do you think this would be an effective way to try and
eliminate cell phones from school? Why or why not?
4) How could this
simulation possibly
tie to prohibition?
(the outlawing of
alcohol.)
What were the Reasons for Prohibition?
1) Religious groups viewed drinking as sinful
2) Reformers believed the government should protect the
public health.
3) Belief that alcohol led to crime, abuse and accidents.
4) Resentment of small towns of growing urban power and
of urban culture.
What did the 18th Amendment do?
1) Banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of
alcoholic beverages.
2) Took effect January of 1920.
3) Federal Prohibition Bureau created to enforce law
- Only 1500 agents to police the entire country. This agency was set up
by the VOLSTEAD ACT.
*Movie
Clips
What was the response to Prohibition?
1) Speakeasies
- Underground drinking
- Hidden nightclubs and saloons.
- Known as speakeasies because once
inside one spoke quietly to avoid detection.
- Needed some type of password to enter.
- Law enforcement often looked the other way due to bribes and allowed
these illegal establishments to flourish.
- Who attended speakeasies and became criminals?
- Middle and upper class men and women.
What was the response to Prohibition?
2) Bootleggers
- Smugglers who sold alcohol
- Became more of a sport then a crime (NASCAR)
What was the response to Prohibition?
3) Organized Crime
- In major cities underworld gangs realized the opportunity prohibition
allowed for.
- These gangs/individuals made and sold liquor and pocketed huge sums
of money.
- Al Capone of Chicago is the most infamous
Why did Prohibition Fail?
1) By the mid 1920s only 19% of Americans support
Prohibition.
2) Many Americans considered the increase in crime and
lawlessness worse then the problems prohibition had set
out to correct.
3) 1933 the 21st Amendment repeals the 18th Amendment
and ends the era of Prohibition.
Questions??
“Difficult Decisions in History”
1) Pros and cons of each. Which do you agree with?
2) If you were a legislator and were asked to vote for the
18th Amendment, what would you have said? Explain.
3) What issues might the experiment of prohibition relate to
today? Should the Government attempt to prohibit
immoral behavior? (Examples/Reasons)