Prohibition
The Noble Experiment
Prohibition
 Thought
 Was
of by the Progressives
a plan to stop people from
drinking alcoholic beverages
th
18
 Added
 Made
Amendment
to the Constitution in 1919
the production, sale, and
transportation of alcoholic
beverages illegal
Goals of Prohibition
 Reduce
Crime
 Reduce
Poverty
 Lower
Death Rates
 Improve
the Quality of Life
Prohibition
“The Noble Experiment”
Prohibition was meant to reduce
crime and corruption, solve
social problems, reduce the
tax burden created by prisons
and poor houses, and improve
health and hygiene in America.
Carrie Nation
 Was
a crusader for prohibition
 Used
a hatchet to split wooden
kegs and smash bottles of
alcoholic beverages
Carrie Nation
Prohibition Fails
Instead prohibition lead to more
crime and corruption and even
more social problems.
Bootleggers
 Smuggled
liquor from overseas
and Canada, stole it from
government warehouses, or
made their own
 Illegal
speak-easies replaced
saloons during prohibition
Bootleggers Running from the Law
Crash While a Bootlegger was
Running from Revenuers
Speak Easies
Organized Crime
 Organized
gangs controlled most of
the bootlegging industry.
 Gangs
bribed federal agents and city
officials leading to corruption among
the police.
 Rival
gangs would fight over money
and this led to over 400 gang related
murders in Chicago alone.
Gangsters
 Al
Capone
 Bugs
Moran
Al Capone
Why Did Prohibition Fail?
 Prohibition
failed because the policy
was pretty much unenforceable
 Only
5% of smuggled liquor was
actually stopped from coming into the
country
 Gangs
overpowered or bribed
authority figures
Problems Caused by
Prohibition
•
Instead of lowering the crime rate
prohibition actually lead to an
increase in crime.
•
Large amounts of money could be
made from illegal bootlegging.
The End of
Prohibition
The 21st Amendment ended
prohibition in 1933
Results of Prohibition

Americans began to drink more hard liquor

Americans drank more potent drinks and
became more drunk by drinking less

Illegally made products had no standards
so people began to die from poisoned
liquor.
Results of Prohibition
 Organized
crime grew into an empire
 Disrespect
for the law grew
 Consumption
dramatically
of alcohol increased