The Temperance Movement to Prohibition: Hatchets to Al Capone
Temperance organizations date back to 1789 in the United States.
- Temperance movement:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Between 1830 – 1840, most temperance organizations began to argue that the only way to
prevent drunkenness was to _______________________________________________________
Temperance groups: _____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
The members of temperance groups were predominantly female, Methodists, Northern Baptists,
Southern Baptists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Quakers, Lutherans and suffragettes
(________________________________________________)
There were also many other groups who supported the temperance movement, such as:
- Southerners
- African Americans
- Tea merchants and soda fountain manufacturers (Why? __________________________
_______________________________________________________________________)
-
Politicians with a large number of Protestant constituents
Ku Klux Klan
Motives Behind Prohibition:
Women in the temperance organizations saw alcohol has the cause of many of the ills of modern
society (especially amongst the working class), especially:
-
Prohibition Becomes Law:
- Increased pressure from temperance groups
- Southern states began to enact Prohibition
- During WWI, beer was linked with Germany
- Temperance promoted as a virtue
- Through intense lobbying, the Anti-Saloon League pushed the Constitutional amendment
through Congress and the states
- January 29th, 1919:
-
October 28th, 1919:
Prohibition began on January 16th, 1920.
Results of Prohibition
- Pros:
o Spousal abuse ______________________ nationwide
o Less sick days taken by workers à increased industrial efficiency
o Arrests for ___________________________________ dramatically decreased
o Working class families improved their lot financially
-
Cons:
o Law was unpopular and created disrespect for the law amongst citizens
(smuggling, bootlegging, rum-running)
o In 1925, over 4,000 people died from poison liquor (attempts at homemade
alcohol were often lethal)
o Law created __________________ on a massive scale
o Birth of the American ______________________ (such as Al Capone, who made
millions of dollars through illegal alcohol sales and built a criminal empire)
Speakeasies
-
Underground bars during Prohibition
To gain entry, one needed to know the password
(changed frequently)
Often elaborate and offered live music and shows
To remain open, speakeasy operators commonly bribed
police to leave them alone or give them advance notice of
any planned raids
Some bars were elaborately designed with pull away
stages, tables and platforms to conceal sections of the
speakeasy
By the mid 1920s, there were over 100,000 speakeasies in
NYC
America and the 1920s: The Scopes-Monkey Trial
When:
Where:
Major Players:
What Happened:
- Butler Act in Tennessee forbade the teaching of evolution in school
- John Scopes deliberately broke this law so that he could be arrested and put his case against
Fundamentalism in the courts
- In the series of trials that followed, Fundamentalists (led by William Jennings Bryan) lost
their case and were shown to be ignorant and confused
Historical Significance:
America and the 1920s: Black Tuesday
When:
Where:
What Happened:
Historical Significance: