Unit 16: Prohibition

Transcription

1 T h e A r t i o s H o m e C o m p a n i o n S e r i e s T e a c h e r O v e r v i e w By the late middle of the nineteenth century drunkenness had become a serious problem throughout the Unite States. Many people thought that a Constitutional amendment was needed to eliminate all drinking of alcohol. The Sixteenth Amendment was passed that made alcohol consumption illegal. However, the conflict over Prohibition eventually came to reflect a growing tension between rural and city areas, since cities had large populations of immigrants who had grown up in countries where drinking alcohol was part of their culture. Prohibition did not prove to be successful and the very behaviors it was intended to curb became worse, eventually ending in passing of the Twenty-First Amendmen,t which overturned the Eighteenth. The Drunkard s Progress: a lithograph by Nathaniel Currier supporting the temperance movement, January 1846 Key People, Places, and Events American Temperance Society Billy Sunday Anti-Saloon League Twenty-First Amendment Al Capone Roaring Twenties Sixteenth Amendment Eighteenth Amendment Woman s Christian Temperance Union Page 195

2 Reading and Assignments Based on your student s age and ability, the reading in this unit may be read aloud to the student and journaling and notebook pages may be completed orally. Likewise, other assignments can be done with an appropriate combination of independent and guided study. In this unit, students will: Complete one lesson in which they will learn about Prohibition. Define vocabulary words. Visit for additional resources. Vocabulary Lesson 1: Prohibition tinctures moonshine bootlegger Leading Ideas The Bible provides the ethics upon which to judge people and nations. Exodus 20:1-17 God is sovereign over the affairs of men. From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. Acts 17:26 Scripture warns about being unwise in the use of alcohol. Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise. Proverbs 20:1 Sunday preaching by George Bellows, Metropolitan Magazine, May 1915 Page 196

3 L e s s o n O n e H i s t o r y O v e r v i e w a n d A s s i g n m e n t s Prohibition Disorderliness caused by excessive drinking was an occasional occurrence during America s colonial era, but by the middle of the nineteenth century drunkenness had become such a serious problem through the nation that many people believed that a Constitutional amendment was needed to make drinking alcohol illegal. Reading and Assignments Read the article: Prohibition. Define each vocabulary word in the context of the reading and put the word and its definition in the vocabulary section of your notebook. After reading the article, summarize the story you read by either: Retelling it out loud to your teacher or parent. OR Completing an appropriate notebook page. Either way, be sure to include the answers to the discussion questions and an overview of key people, dates, and events in your summary. Visit for additional resources. The Moonshine Man of Kentucky, illustration from Harper s Weekly, 1877, showing five scenes from the life of a Kentucky moonshiner Vocabulary prohibition moonshine tinctures bootlegger Key People, Places, and Events American Temperance Society Billy Sunday Anti-Saloon League Woman s Christian Temperance Union Al Capone Roaring Twenties Sixteenth Amendment Eighteenth Amendment Twenty-First Amendment Page 197

4 Discussion Questions 1. What was the conflict over alcohol in the early 20 th century? 2. What was the purpose of the American Temperance Society? 3. Which state was the first to outlaw alcoholic beverages in its state constitution? 4. How did the Sixteenth Amendment support the temperance movement? 5. How did organized crime benefit from Prohibition? 6. What was a bootlegger? 7. Was Prohibition successful? Why or why not? 8. Did the repeal of Prohibition keep states from banning alcohol? 9. Which state was the last to overturn Prohibition? What year did it overturn Prohibition? Prohibition by Mary E. Hall, MPA The Bible tells us clearly not to eat or drink in excess, and it gives strict warnings against becoming addicted to anything (wanting more and more of something until you can t stop thinking about it). Drinking large amounts of alcohol can make people think and behave in ways they usually wouldn t, and this can lead to serious sin. Disorderliness caused by excessive drinking was an occasional occurrence during America s colonial era, but by the middle of the nineteenth century drunkenness had become such a serious problem throughout the nation that many people came to believe that a Constitutional amendment was needed to eliminate all drinking of alcohol. Pioneers had founded many new towns out west by this point, and many of them had little in the way of law enforcement. Unofficial frontier law often ruled the land, usually with disastrous results when strong drink was involved. When gold was discovered in the hills of California, adventure-seekers swarmed west in greater numbers than ever, and drunkenness became a much bigger problem when many forty-niners who failed to strike it rich finding gold turned to rum and other kinds of liquor to drown their sorrows. A poster advertising ship passage to California at the beginning of the Gold Rush A group called the American Temperance Society had formed in 1826, mainly made up of women who wanted to ban all drinking of alcohol in order to encourage and preserve temperance, or self-restraint, in America s homes and towns. Churches and popular traveling preachers like Billy Sunday warned against the dangers of strong drink, and other organizations sprang up, such as the Page 198

5 Woman s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League. The logo of the WCTU By 1881, Kansas had outlawed alcoholic beverages in its state constitution, and a national Prohibition Party promoted candidates who supported a nationwide ban. National Prohibition Party Convention, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1892 The conflict over Prohibition eventually came to reflect a growing tension between rural and city areas, since cities had large populations of immigrants who had grown up in countries where drinking alcohol was part of their culture. Temperance advocates pointed to high crime rates in the cities and blamed alcohol. Political candidates sought to gain the favor of the immigrants by promising not to outlaw drinking, and this led to corruption as the temptation grew to buy votes. The Sixteenth Amendment lent support to the temperance movement by replacing revenues from taxes on alcohol sales with an income tax. Also, World War I silenced the German American community, which generally opposed alcohol restrictions. Support continued in favor of a nationwide ban, and Congress finally passed the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919, prohibiting the production, transport, and sale of alcohol throughout the United States. Opposition was voiced by doctors who used alcohol-based tinctures and treatments in their practice, and an act was passed by Congress which made exceptions to the ban for certain uses. While the manufacture and transport of alcohol was made illegal, the actual drinking of alcohol was not outlawed by the amendment. Many Americans had stockpiled wine and liquor before the war went into effect, and drinking alcohol became popular in private parties. Also, liquor was smuggled into the U.S. from neighboring nations and nearby islands, creating a booming black market in many cities and border towns. Alcohol consumption rose dramatically in many places, along with organized crime based upon smuggling. Crime bosses like Al Capone made millions by bootlegging liquor into Chicago from Canada and charging high prices for it. Capone eventually expanded his smuggling network all the way down to Florida. Murder and robbery rates increased right along with this black market, and the Roaring Twenties Page 199

6 became a time of wild, unbridled behavior among partygoers in cities and other wealthy areas. In poorer, rural areas moonshiners produced their own liquor, brewing it in wooded places by the light of the moon and bottling it in canning jars. Prohibition did not seem to be working. The very behaviors it was intended to curb were worsening, and many people who had consumed alcohol in moderation during the days before the amendment now drank much stronger illegal liquor. Moonshine was very high in alcohol and was often contaminated. Sometimes it was even made using car radiators in the distilling process, which was especially dangerous.tax dollars derived from the alcohol industry were now lost. In addition, bootleggers revealed that they were supplying liquor to many of the very lawmakers who had written the laws against it. As a result, many of these legislators were voted out in the next elections. The replacements the people voted in didn t disapprove of alcohol drinking, and they soon passed the Twenty- First Amendment, which overturned the Eighteenth. The repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment did not prevent states from banning alcohol, and many states, either in whole or in part, continued to do so. Mississippi was the last state to overturn Prohibition in 1966, and many counties within the U.S. still prohibit or restrict alcohol to this day. Rum runner schooner Kirk and Sweeney with illegal liquor in crates stacked on deck Page 200