The Prohibition Era:
Electronic Notecards
By Josh Byron
Mr. Urquia
World Civ.
April 12, 2010
Electronic Notecard #1
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Source: E.J. Turner, “The Prohibition Era” 1998 <
http://www.ephidrina.org/alcohol/prohibition.html>
Subject: research, cause of prohibition
Keywords: Laws on Prohibition, Volstead Act
Abstract: The first law against prohibition was passed in Maine on 1851, with
twelve states following Maine’s footsteps. Eighteen years later, the National
Prohibition Party was formed and won a seat in the House of Representatives in
1890. Then, during World War 1, the Wartime Prohibition Act was introduced. The
Volstead Act, which was passed on October 28, 1919, reinforced the prohibition of
alcohol in the United States of America. By 1920, total prohibition was introduced
in 33 states. With the introduction of total prohibition, the 18th Amendment
officially established Prohibition in the United States of America.
Prohibition was originally introduced as a way of decreasing the total consumption
of alcohol, which was considered a drug back then, but then led to the complete
banning of any form of alcohol. The Wartime Prohibition Act, which was originally
used just to save grain for food, led to total prohibition in 33 states.
Electronic Notecard #2
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Sources:
1.) Bardsley, Marilyn. "Chicago". Al Capone. Crime Library.
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/capone/chicago_5.html.
Retrieved 2008-04-03.
2.) Phillips, John Neal. "Bonnie & Clyde's Revenge on Eastham." American History on
HistoryNet.com. 12 June 2006.
3.) DeBartolo, Anthony. "Dillinger's Dupes: Town Seeks to Preserve a Jail Yet Escape a Dastardly
Deed." Chicago Tribune. November 4, 1988.
4.) Nickel, Steven; William J. Helmer (2002). Baby Face Nelson. Cumberland House. p. 26.
Subject: research, notable people during the Prohibition Era
Keywords: Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Lester Joseph Gillis.
Abstract: Al Capone was an American Gangster who led a crime syndicate dedicated to the
smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era during the
1920s and 1930s. Bonnie and Clyde were well-known outlaws, criminals, robbers who, along with
their gang, traveled around the Central United States during the Great Depression. John Dillinger
was an American bank robber in the Midwest during the early 1930s. Lester Joseph Gillis, or Baby
Face Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the early 1930s.
The Prohibition Era lead to a wave of crime, which included robberies, the illegal distribution and
making of alcohol, etc.
Electronic Notecard #3
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Sources:
1.) http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/prohibition
2.) http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bootlegging
3.) http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/speakeasy
4.) http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/moonshineSubject
Subject: research, terms coined during the Prohibition Era
Keywords: prohibition, bootlegging, speakeasy, moonshine
Abstract:
Prohibition  a sumptuary law which prohibits alcohol.
Bootlegging  the business of smuggling or transporting alcoholic
beverages illegally.
• Speakeasy an establishment which illegally sold alcoholic beverages
during the Prohibition Era.
• Moonshine a common name for illicitly-distilled corn whiskey.
Electronic Notecard #4
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Source: "Causes of Prohibition." n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2010.
<http://library.thinkquest.org/28892/prohibition/why/Subject: >.
Subject: causes of the Prohibition Era
Keywords: prohibition, medical, economic, political, social
Abstract:
Medical: By that time people were started to realize that alcohol damaged our health and could
affect our lives. Many American men suffered from Sclerosis, which is caused by alcohol and lung
cancer from smoking cigarettes.
Economic: Many laborers got drunk and so they could not perform the job properly. The absence
from work each week was very high, therefore the company was less efficient. The company could
not afford to produce the same products in the time that they should and the industrialists were
not satisfied.
Political: Many votes were won in rural areas because politicians promised to back up prohibition,
which helped those politicians to win the election.
Social: The last point of all, which we have agreed on the most important, was that the husbands
were spending their family’s saving stupidly on alcohol instead of essential items, e.g. Education.
That problem led to family arguments, which eventually led to divorce. The problem pressurized
women the most, therefore they set up the anti-saloon groups.
Electronic Notecard #5
• Source: Hoyt, Alya. "How Prohibition Worked." HowStuffWorks n. pag.
Web. 14 Apr 2010. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/americanhistory/prohibition4.htm>.
• Subject: Effects of Prohibition
• Keywords: cirrhosis, alcoholism, deaths
• Abstract:
• Deaths caused by cirrhosis of the liver in men dropped to 10.7 men per
100,000 from 29.5 men per 100,000 from 1911 to 1929. On the other
hand, adulterated or contaminated liquor contributed to more than
50,000 deaths and many cases of blindness and paralysis. It's pretty safe
to say this wouldn't have happened in a country where liquor production
was monitored and regulated
• Alcohol consumption during Prohibition declined between 30 and 50
percent. Conversely, by the end of the 1920s there were more alcoholics
and illegal drinking establishments than before Prohibition
Electronic Notecard #6
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Source:
"In what ways did prohibition change American society in the 1920's?." n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2010.
<http://wiki.answers.com/Q/In_what_ways_did_prohibition_change_American_society_in_the_19
20>.
Subject: Effects of Prohibition on society
Keywords: organized crime
Abstract: Prohibitionists finally convinced enough politicians that the time was right for an end to
liquor as a legal drink. It would improve the morals of the nation, help end poverty, and make life
healthier for all concerned. The ban on liquor did not work because you cannot legislate morals. As
someone said at the time, "Everyone is in favor of prohibition, but no one wants to stop drinking."
It also failed because the government could not stop the flow of illegal liquor into the country from
Canada and Europe, and illegal "hooch" gave organized crime a "shot in the arm." Organized crime
became more organized as criminal groups consolidated and began operating like a business.
Following the repeal of prohibition, many crime syndicates branched out into other forms of illegal
activities, including gambling and business fraud and corruption. Some labor unions became
infiltrated or even controlled by organized crime. This led to the need for more enforcement,
police, and federal agencies to combat the rise in crime.