Prohibition Vocabulary Prohibition Era in American society where
Prohibition
Vocabulary • Prohibition – Era in American society where Alcohol is illegal • 18 th Amendment – Prohibited the manufacture, sale or transportation of alcoholic beverages. • Volstead Act – Congressional act that defined an “intoxicating drink” as more than. 5% alcohol • Speakeasies – Hidden saloons where alcohol was sold illegally • Bootleggers – Alcohol smugglers, carried liquor in the legs of their boots
Why Prohibition • A movement to stop corruption: – – Child/Wife abuse Crime Accidents on the Job Other serious social problems • Led by groups such as: – Anti-Saloon League – Woman’s Christian Temperance Union – Many Protestants from South and West
What is the message of this cartoon? (6)
What is the message of this cartoon? (6)
What is the message of this cartoon? (6)
What is the message of this cartoon? (6)
The Effect of WW 1 on Prohibition • Fed off of Anti-German Sentiment – Most Breweries owned by German Americans – • Anti-Saloon league called beer “Kaiser’s Brew” • Need to Conserve Wheat – Jan 1917 - Wilson instituted a partial prohibition in effort to conserve grain – Sept 1917 – banned a wartime production of beer – “Grain should be made into bread for fighting men and not for making liquor. ”
The Effects of Prohibition on the 1920 s • Normal Americans wanted to stop making sacrifices and enjoy life. • Little $ given to enforce the law • Speakeasies opened up underground • Bootleggers began smuggling alcohol • Moonshine and other home made alcohol was created • Organized Crime developed to sell illegal alcohol at high prices – Led to a lot of violence
The End of Prohibition • By mid-1920 s, only 19% of Americans supported prohibition • Rise of crime and lawlessness had worsened, according to those who opposed the law. • Law was repealed in 1933 with the 21 st Amendment – result of Great Depression (jobs and taxes)
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