UEH Seminar Topic The Roaring Twenties. Title Prohibition: Success or Failure? Grade Levels High School U.S. History II. Time Frame Two Days

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1 UEH Seminar Topic The Roaring Twenties Title Prohibition: Success or Failure? Grade Levels High School U.S. History II Time Frame Two Days Links to MA History & Social Studies Frameworks USII.10 Describe how the battle between traditionalism and modernity manifested itself in the major historical trends and events after World War I and throughout the 1920s. USII.10e Prohibition Essential Objectives Students will: Identify the Eighteenth Amendment Cite the affordability of alcohol consumption prior to and during Prohibition Analyze the effects of alcohol affordability on social class Describe how economic survival and economic desires for new consumer goods affected one s decision-making process in participating in the illegal behavior Explain the extent to which the legal system contributed to the enforcement of the Prohibition Act Determine whether Prohibition was a success or failure Determine whether Prohibition was a success or failure dependent on one s economic status Analyze how student assessments of Prohibition s success or failure parallels or refutes the assumed notion that Prohibition was a failure Essential Questions Historians, textbooks, and teachers often oversimplify the effects of the Eighteenth Amendment, commonly referred to as Prohibition, by citing its failure as evidenced by its repeal by the Twenty-first Amendment. However, Prohibition was not a complete failure. Often neglected in the traditional story is the significant reduction in alcohol consumption, the realities of class and economic circumstance that enabled mostly the upper class to participate in illegal consumption, and the instances of Prohibition s successful enforcement through the legal system. This lesson focuses on these three rarely analyzed peculiarities of Prohibition through two class activities with accompanying discussion and brief lecture. The objectives are framed within the context

2 of analyzing Prohibition s success or failure using statistical evidence, personal experience during a simulation, and documentary records. Procedure Day 1 of 2

3 Day 1 Overview The first activity will allow students to simulate various classes attempting to consume alcohol in two eras: just prior to Prohibition (1919) and a decade later (1929). Students will be divided into four groups: (1) 1919 working class, (2) 1919 upper class, (3) 1929 working class, and (4) 1929 upper class. Each member of each group will be handed a card that denotes his/her class, yearly salary, weekly salary, living expenses per week, number of children to support, disposable income, and economic ambitions with expense (a list of consumer wares he/she desires to purchase in the short-term). The objective of the activity is for all students, regardless of era or class, to purchase alcohol if it is economically feasible and rational. The 1919 groups will be have the option to go to a bar or the liquor store prior to Prohibition to see if they can afford to drink. The 1929 groups will have the option to go to an illegal speakeasy or seek out an illicit dealer. For any group, if none of the four options are viable, then they will go to the dry section located in the middle of the classroom. Remind all students that they are urbanites and thus do not have the means to distill or brew their own alcohol. Each location (corner) of the classroom (1919 bar, 1919 liquor store, 1929 speakeasy, 1929 dealer) will have its prices posted. After figuring out his/her disposable income, each student will proceed to his/her relative location and write down his/her purchase. Encourage every student to make wise choices. For instance, the 1929 working class card denotes a disposable weekly income of $5.49. A pint of beer at a speakeasy costs 40. Purchasing six beers per week will consume nearly half of the family s disposable income. In addition, encourage students to save money for the economic ambitions listed on the cards. This is vitally important for the working class students because if they make the right choices, they will undoubtedly choose not to drink in 1929 (some in 1919 may choose to drink due to the cheaper prices that existed prior to prohibition). If a student cannot afford or simply chooses not to drink, he/she will proceed to the dry section in the middle of the room. Students will remain in his/her location until the activity is complete and will remain there for the follow-up discussion. By the end of the activity, all groups will come to the conclusion that one s desire and ability to purchase alcohol was dependent on one s economic situation. The upper class will have no problem purchasing alcohol in the 1919 or 1929 era due to its plethora of disposable income. The lower class will find it marginally possible in 1919 to consume at all, but impossible to do so in If the lesson is managed properly, students will see that the working class had a significant impact on curbing drinking regardless of the availability of bootleg liquor. Preparation Day 1 Copy enough cards for each student to have one; arrange it so two-thirds of the class ends up in the working class. Post signs in each corner of the room and in the middle of the classroom that denote each location (the 1919 bar, the 1919 liquor store, the 1929 speakeasy, the 1929 dealer, and the dry area) Post prices on the walls of the four corners of the room for the 1919 bar, the 1919 liquor store, the 1929 speakeasy, and the 1929 dealer. Warm Up Day 1 Introduce the following objectives. Today and tomorrow we will focus on:

4 Determining whether Prohibition was a success or failure Simulating Americans who want to purchase alcohol before and during Prohibition Deciding the guilt or innocence of a local man prosecuted for violating the Prohibition Act Explain the details in the Day 1 Overview Procedure Day1 After introducing the objectives, have the class count off by fours in order to divide the class into four groups Give each group a set of cards Instruct each group to sit down and analyze his/her economic position and focus on disposable income per week Then instruct them to meet the objective for each group: Try to purchase alcohol but use your better judgment in doing so. Essentially, you should only do so if you can afford it, although you do have the choice to be a poor decision maker who spends the family s resources on sin! Allow some 20 to 25 minutes for the activity to play out If you are able to afford alcohol at any of the four locations in the corners of the classroom, remain there to purchase what you want and stay there for the duration of the activity. If you find that you cannot afford alcohol at any location, you must proceed to the middle of the room and remain there until the activity is over. The teacher should walk around the classroom throughout the activity to help the students focus on disposable income and steer them in the right direction as to which location may be the most viable option for them. Follow Up/Discussion Day 1 State to the students: Take a look around you at your present location. Are you with your social class? Why or why not? Each group will then take turns explaining its experience as to how they ended up at their present destination (1919 bar, 1919 liquor store, 1929 speakeasy, 1929 dealer, or the dry area in the middle of the room). Essentially, each group will explain its decision-making process. Students will also answer the following essential questions: Cite the affordability of alcohol consumption prior to and during Prohibition Analyze the effects of alcohol affordability on social class Describe how economic survival and economic desires for new consumer goods affected one s decision-making process in participating in the illegal behavior

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10 PRICES 1919 BAR PINT OF BEER 7 GIN MIXER 7 WHISKEY MIXER 14 PRICES 1919 LIQUOR STORE PINT OF BEER 5 GIN MIXER 5 WHISKEY MIXER 10 PRICES 1929 SPEAKEASY PINT OF BEER 40 GIN MIXER 37 WHISKEY MIXER 44 PRICES 1929 DEALER PINT OF BEER 30 GIN MIXER 28 WHISKEY MIXER 33

11 CARDS Living expenses includes rent + food + fuel/electricity + clothing (you do not buy clothing) GROUP: 1919 CLASS: Working class YEARLY SALARY: $1,358 WEEKLY SALARY: $26.11 WEEKLY LIVING EXPENSES: $21 ($6.00+$6.25+$8.75+$0) # OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN: 4 WEEKLY DISPOSABLE INCOME: $5.11 ECONOMIC AMBITIONS: Buy a radio (cost = $65) Living expenses includes rent (you own your house) + food + fuel/electricity + clothing GROUP: 1919 CLASS: Upper class YEARLY SALARY: $8,702 WEEKLY SALARY: $ WEEKLY LIVING EXPENSES: $47.75 ($0+$8.75+$16.50+$22.50) # OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN: 3 WEEKLY DISPOSABLE INCOME: $ ECONOMIC AMBITIONS: Purchase a new car (cost = $330) Buy a refrigerator (cost = $750) Buy a vacuum cleaner (cost = $185) Living expenses includes rent + food + fuel/electricity + clothing (you do not buy clothing) GROUP: 1929 CLASS: Working class YEARLY SALARY: $1,480 WEEKLY SALARY: $28.47 WEEKLY LIVING EXPENSES: $22.98 ($6.54+$6.94+$9.50+$0) # OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN: 4 WEEKLY DISPOSABLE INCOME: $5.49 ECONOMIC AMBITIONS: Take family to movies once a week ($1.40) Buy a radio: (cost = $15) Buy a vacuum cleaner (cost = $18.75) Buy a refrigerator (cost = $300)

12 Living expenses includes rent (you own your house)+ food + fuel/electricity + clothing GROUP: 1929 CLASS: Upper class YEARLY SALARY: $10,007 WEEKLY SALARY: $ WEEKLY LIVING EXPENSES: $53.75 ($0+$10+19+$24.75) # OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN: 3 WEEKLY DISPOSABLE INCOME: $ ECONOMIC AMBITIONS: Buy a new car (cost = $280) Take family to movies twice a week ($2.80) Dine out twice a week (cost = $20) Buy a refrigerator (cost = $300)

13 Procedure Day 2 of 2 Day 2 Overview The second day will make use of local, primary source documents related to the enforcement of the Prohibition Act. Students will get into two groups (essentially, two juries of twelve) and examine the evidence in a court case. This activity will be studentled (in each group) with a jury foreman leading the way. Students will examine the prosecution of James Calzetta et al, of North Andover, Massachusetts who were prosecuted for violating the Prohibition Act. Students will read and weigh the evidence and reach a verdict. Remind students that a hung jury (non-unanimous decision) will result in nonconviction of Mr. Calzetta and friends and the jury must discuss their opinions openly among their peers (based on the facts in the case) to reach the verdict. The activity will culminate with the reading of each group s verdict and a post-trial interview by the press (the teacher) to see why the juries reached their verdicts. The second day will wrap up with a general discussion and brief lecture of the essential questions outlined in the previous section. Preparation Day 2 Copy enough case packets of the James Calzetta documents in order for each juror (student) to have his/her own copy Bring a gavel to class or a similar instrument to bang for order in the court when necessary Prepare the essential questions for the central discussion at the end of this day s lesson on a media unit (Smart Board, In Focus Projector, or standard overhead projector) Warm Up Day 2 Explain the objectives as outlined in the overview above Explain that juries work together by sharing opinions of the evidence presented and that they do not always agree and many jurors change their opinion because they must not only decide the fate of an individual but also uphold the laws under the United States Constitution and subsequent statutes. Even if you do not like the law, you must do your best to respect the laws of the United States. Then divide the class into two equal groups (two juries) Allow students to join their juries, but first tell them that their first task will be to elect a jury foreman, who will lead the jury and deliver the verdict to the judge

14 Procedure Day2 Once students are settled into their respective juries and have begun the foreman selection process, pass out the packets of documents from the James Calzetta case. All the documents can be found on the Using Essex History DVD handed out at the seminar on the Roaring Twenties. Hopefully these resources will be posted on the UEH web page soon in order for teachers to utilize them for this lesson. These documents are: 4794, , , , , , , , , 20-1 As the students are examining the evidence in the packets, the teacher will walk around the room and assist foremen in interpreting the documents. Do not, as the teacher, address all the jurors try to guide only the foreman to allow him/her to lead each group. This method should encourage more independent thought by students rather than the teacher telling everyone what outcome to reach. Allow 20 to 30 minutes for this activity

15 Follow Up/Discussion Day 2 Each jury foreman will read the verdict in the James Calzetta case After each has read its verdict, the entire jury will be asked questions by the press (the teacher will act as the press). Some questions may include, but do not need to be limited to: What was the most compelling evidence that caused you to [convict/acquit] Mr. Calzetta? How easily did the jury reach its verdict? Did it take some convincing of others to reach a unanimous (or hung jury) decision? Do you think this prosecution will have any effect on others who are thinking about participating in the illicit alcohol trade? Do you think Mr. Calzetta was really [selling alcohol illegally/innocent]? What message does your decision send to rumrunners, bootleggers, and potential violators of the law? Will it act as a deterrent or have a minimal effect? Central Discussion Days 1 & 2 Tell students to go back to their normal seats so we can have a wrap up discussion that helps us answer all of the essential questions about Prohibition Display the statistics for the lecture Evidence that Prohibition May Have Succeeded (see handout/notes on the next page) After the lecture, revisit each of the following essential questions: Cite the affordability of alcohol consumption prior to and during Prohibition Analyze the effects of alcohol affordability on social class Describe how economic survival and economic desires for new consumer goods affected one s decision-making process in participating in the illegal behavior Explain the extent to which the legal system contributed to the enforcement of the Prohibition Act Determine whether Prohibition was a success or failure Determine whether Prohibition was a success or failure dependent on one s economic status Analyze how student assessments of Prohibition s success or failure parallels or refutes the assumed notion that Prohibition was a failure Is there any relevance between the success/failure argument and the contemporary debate on the legalization of drugs and age policies for other substances, such as alcohol & tobacco? Has this relevance influenced your opinion on the contemporary debates?

16 Evidence that Prohibition May Have Succeeded Most Americans outside the larger cities never knew a bootlegger, never saw a speakeasy, and would not have known where to look for one (Norman Clark, p. 146) Our perception is based on writings of the smarter set who could afford the increased cost of illicit alcohol Americans after Prohibition were drinking less than at any time since they had learned the technology of distillation: Average per capita consumption of alcohol : 2.6 gallons (last period before state Prohibition laws) 1934: 0.97 gallons (just after Prohibition s repeal) 1940: 1.56 gallons Cost increases by 1928 quart of beer: 80 (600% increase) quart of gin: $5.90 (520% increase) quart of whiskey $7.00 (310% increase) Incomes in 1928 Average family income was $2,600 The working class earned about half the average The wealthy earned significantly more than the average

17 Other evidence of success & benefits: 1929 survey: drinking among high school students on a steady decline arrests for drunkenness declined precipitously money usually spent on liquor helped spur commercial growth in the 1920s (movies, cars, real estate, clothing, etc.) medical journals stopped publishing about drunkenness Evidence of Prohibition s partial Failure Confusing law Tough to enforce Long Canadian border Lack of local initiative & federal funding