prohibition in the usa

Prohibition: the causes and effects What was Prohibition? • Ever since the 1800s, some regarded drinking as a social evil • They wanted to ban alcohol; this, they regarded as a social reform • In 1920, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) won their years of struggle • Congress added the 18th Amendment to the U.S Constitution • Congress banned the manufacture, sales, possession, and consumption of alcoholic beverages • From then on, Elliot Ness and his Untouchables (federal agents) hunted down bootleggers Bootleggers Since there were no more bars, people went to speakeasies (illegal bars) and drank bootleg (illegal) liquor Bootlegging began to make headlines F Scott Fitzgerald wrote a novel in which his hero made a fortune from bootlegging The Great Gatsby was a tragedy: The hero is murdered at the end but not by bootleggers! Al Capone was head of the Chicago mob, which controlled the bootleg liquor industry The submachine gun is first sold at a national gun show It became the weapon of choice for bootlegging gangsters Al Capone was finally put in federal prison - but not for murder He was convicted of income tax evasion Prohibition lasted for 13 years Prohibition was one of the most flouted laws in American history It was repealed in 1933 Prohibition The Causes The Breweries Beer was the No drink in America Thanks to refrigeration, breweries could mass produce beer Thanks to refrigerated railroad cars, brewers could ship beer to the major cities The Saloons In 1906, the city of Chicago had 5,000 grocery stores and 8,000 saloons In New York City’s Lower East Side, there were 100 churches and 4,000 saloons To increase the sale of beer, breweries put several bars on every street To increase the sale of beer, taverns provided a free lunch The breweries and saloons focused on workers and immigrants Grassroots Movement The anti-drinking movement consisted of local groups: a Churches, religious fundamentalists, and Billy Sunday, the evangelist b Businessmen, who wanted to reduce absenteeism c Women’s Christian Temperance Union began in 1874 d The Anti-Saloon League began in 1895 The 18th Amendment • The 18th Amendment to the Constitution was passed by Congress in 1917 and ratified by 3/4 of the states by 1919 • It prohibited the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States • People smuggled liquor over the border from Canada The Results What was intended REDUCE ALCOHOLISM The consumption of alcohol fell However a people spent more money on alcohol during Prohibition b people drank stronger alcohol Before Prohibition, Americans drank 50% beer and 50% whiskey and other distilled liquor During Prohibition, Americans drank whiskey The more intense the law enforcement, the more potent liquor became A small bottle of whiskey was easy to transport It was expensive because it packed a punch A big barrel of beer was harder to conceal In terms of alcohol content, it was weak The man who drinks whiskey was far more likely to become an alcoholic than the man who drank beer Very often, there were twice as many bars during Prohibition But they were illegal and called “speakeasies.” REDUCE CRIME Prohibition created a crime wave Violent crimes increased Organized crime took over! The Volstead Act • Congress passed the Volstead Act to enforce the Eighteenth Amendment • Before Prohibition, there convicts in federal prisons were 4,000 • By 1932, there were 26,000 • Two-thirds of all prisoners were convicted of alcohol and drug offenses • The homicide rate increased during the 1920s Al Capone You remember Al Capone and the Chicago mob Gangs of bootleggers battled each other for control over territory Al Capone’s gang took in $100 million a year St Valentine’s Day Massacre Gangland shootings became increasingly common on the streets of American cities The most famous shoot-out was the St Valentine's Day massacre On February 14, 1929, Al Capone’s gang shot down seven members of another gang in cold blood REDUCE POLITICAL CORRUPTION • Everyone from mayors to the cop on the beat took bribes from bootleggers and crime bosses • Eliot Ness called his group “The Untouchables” because they could not be bribed! REDUCE THE TAX BURDEN • Heavens, no The federal government alone spent millions trying to crack down on bootleggers • Thousands of federal agents were expensive So were federal prisons REDUCE POVERTY • No In 1929, the stock market crashed on Wall Street • That sent millions into poverty Unintended Consequences DISRESPECT FOR THE LAW • Prohibition encouraged disrespect for the law • There was widespread violation of the law BIG GOVERNMENT • Government had no right to make decisions about an individual’s personal life • In 1933, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded A FAILURE • Prohibition was a total failure • In 1933, the Democrats were elected to the presidency and Congress • Prohibition was ended by the 21st Amendment [...]... tavern.) 4 Reduce the tax burden (Drunks were sent to prison and the poorhouse.) 5 Reduce poverty The 18th Amendment • The 18th Amendment to the Constitution was passed by Congress in 1917 and ratified by 3/4 of the states by 1919 • It prohibited the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States • People smuggled liquor over the border from Canada The Results What was intended 1 REDUCE...• In many towns in Ohio and New York, women met at churches and then marched to the saloons • First, they asked tavern keepers to close their bars • Second, they passed local laws to ban liquor A county that outlawed the sale of liquor was known as a “dry” county Why? 1 Reduce alcoholism 2 Reduce crime 3 Reduce political corruption (The Democratic Party machine was often based in the tavern.)... conceal In terms of alcohol content, it was weak The man who drinks whiskey was far more likely to become an alcoholic than the man who drank beer Very often, there were twice as many bars during Prohibition But they were illegal and called “speakeasies.” 2 REDUCE CRIME Prohibition created a crime wave Violent crimes increased Organized crime took over! The Volstead Act • Congress passed the Volstead... enforce the Eighteenth Amendment • Before Prohibition, there convicts in federal prisons were 4,000 • By 1932, there were 26,000 • Two-thirds of all prisoners were convicted of alcohol and drug offenses • The homicide rate increased during the 1920s Al Capone You remember Al Capone and the Chicago mob Gangs of bootleggers battled each other for control over territory Al Capone’s gang took in $100... gang took in $100 million a year St Valentine’s Day Massacre Gangland shootings became increasingly common on the streets of American cities The most famous shoot-out was the St Valentine's Day massacre On February 14, 1929, Al Capone’s gang shot down seven members of another gang in cold blood 3 REDUCE POLITICAL CORRUPTION • Everyone from mayors to the cop on the beat took bribes from bootleggers and... group The Untouchables” because they could not be bribed! 4 REDUCE THE TAX BURDEN • Heavens, no The federal government alone spent millions trying to crack down on bootleggers • Thousands of federal agents were expensive So were federal prisons 5 REDUCE POVERTY • No In 1929, the stock market crashed on Wall Street • That sent millions into poverty Unintended Consequences 1 DISRESPECT FOR THE LAW • Prohibition. .. The Results What was intended 1 REDUCE ALCOHOLISM The consumption of alcohol fell However a people spent more money on alcohol during Prohibition b people drank stronger alcohol Before Prohibition, Americans drank 50% beer and 50% whiskey and other distilled liquor During Prohibition, Americans drank whiskey The more intense the law enforcement, the more potent liquor became A small bottle of whiskey... Prohibition encouraged disrespect for the law • There was widespread violation of the law 2 BIG GOVERNMENT • Government had no right to make decisions about an individual’s personal life • In 1933, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded 3 A FAILURE • Prohibition was a total failure • In 1933, the Democrats were elected to the presidency and Congress • Prohibition was ended by the 21st Amendment ...What was Prohibition? • Ever since the 1800s, some regarded drinking as a social evil • They wanted to ban alcohol; this, they regarded as a social reform • In 1920, the Women’s Christian... bootlegging The Great Gatsby was a tragedy: The hero is murdered at the end but not by bootleggers! Al Capone was head of the Chicago mob, which controlled the bootleg liquor industry The submachine... 13 years Prohibition was one of the most flouted laws in American history It was repealed in 1933 Prohibition The Causes The Breweries Beer was the No drink in America Thanks to refrigeration,