Black Americans and Prohibition Flashcards
What evidence is there of popularity of the KKK?
- Prominent figures such as President Wilson supported the KKK
- There were 5million members of the KKK by 1925
Why did so many Americans join the KKK in the 1920s?
Prominent figures such as President Wilson supported the KKK, therefore, by the 1920s the klan became a powerful political force
How many lynchings took place each year?
50
What other problems did black Americans face at this time?
- The Jim Crow laws which enforced segregation and the whites had better facilities
- Lynchings which hung black people without trial, for their ‘apparent’ crimes
- Revival of the KKK who used violence to intimidate
Why had the KKK membership declined by 1929?
Series of scandals - including the conviction of one klan leader for the rape and murder of a woman on a train
When was prohibition introduced? What was the name of the law?
- Introduced in Jan 1920
- The law was The Volstead Act which gave the government the power to enforce it
How did the influence of gangsters grow?
- Capone was earning over $60-100 million per year
- Over 200 gang members were murdered from 1927-1931
Why was prohibition introduced during the 1920s?
- Economic reasons- business leaders believed workers would be more productive f alcohol was banned
- Already existed- Many stages already had their own laws on prohibition (13 ‘dry’ states by 1919)
- Moral reasons- Some who opposed alcohol said it caused social problems (if banned USA would be ‘healthy’)
- Campaigners- WCTU & anti-Saloon league pressured government (support of churches made it seem that anyone who opposed P was in favour of crime and morality)
- WW1- Many US brewers were of German decent (lots of anti-G campaigners argued that its patriotic to not drink beer as this was often imported from G). Also, they were using up grain which could have been used to feed allies in Europe.
Why was prohibition difficult to enforce?
- Enforcement was under financed. There were not enough agents, as each agent was poorly paid and was responsible for a huge area.
- Millions of Americans were simply not prepared to obey this law. Many agents saw bribes as part of their income as they were paid low wages.
- Only 1520 officers to enforce P
How did most people ignore the prohibition laws?
Bootleggers continued supplying and selling alcohol and made vast fortunes. Al Capone made around $60-100 a year. By 1925, there were more speakeasies in US cities than there had been saloons in 1919. 2/3 illegal alcohol was imported from Canada.
What was moonshine?
The illegal manufacture of alcohol in distilleries - there were not enough Treasury Agents to close them down.
How much smuggling went on at this time?
William McCoy smuggled around $70 million worth of whiskey from Canada. Rum was also smuggled from the West Indies
What were the Jim Crow laws?
They legalised segregation for blacks and whites - schools, hospitals, water fountains etc..
