Chapter 3-Divided Society Flashcards
What was prohibition?
Prohibition was a law that stopped any American from selling, making or transporting any drink that contains more than 0.5% of alcohol (wine contained 5%)
Why wasn’t this a sudden thing?
For many years there have been campaigns against alcohol which were supported by religious organisations that believed alcohol cause a lot of problems such as violence, addiction, illnesses, sin, crime
Anti saloon league= wanted to ban alcohol
What was temperance ?
not drinking alcohol, religious groups practised temperance
What was the effect of prohibition?
People still wanted to drink and were prepared to break the law against alcohol. Especially gangs which ran illegal bars called speakeasies, these were in sellers and they would get bootleg alcohol. They were provided with whisky and rum by bootleggers which smuggled them in the boots of their cars.
They were so desperate that they made their own alcohol called moonshine which tasted horrible and was dangerous. It caused many illnesses. People had a special password or knock to get into the illegal bars.
Statistics?
700 million gallons of moonshine was produced
2000 people were killed in gang crimes
Why did it fail?
Criminal gangs were making millions of money from bootlegging and speakeasies as used this money to bribe the police, lawyers and judges to cooperate with hem and not punish them.
This behaviour was called Organised Crime
Also there were not enough agents so it was easier to smuggle alcohol.
One of the most famous gangsters is Al Capone
How did prohibition end?
People saw that instead of making America less violent, it made it worse and more people were drinking alcohol, crime increased and the police was corrupted.
Organisations such as the AAPA was against prohibition and said that it made people lose respect for the law.
The government wanted to put tax on alcohol so that they would gain more money than gangsters
Franklin’s D Roosevelt opposed prohibition which secured him more votes leading to him winning the election
Who was al capone ?
He was a gangster that made money from prohibition, he was called scarface.
He brought different ethnic gangs together and moved to chicago. There he made much more money and was able to bribe the police, layers and judges. He liked to show off his money and get photographed. He was arrested time to time however couldn’t get convicted because he was in control of the police layers and judges, had them bribed. This is known as organised crime.
He tried to get rid of his rival in the st valentine’s day massacre where there was a lot of violence however his rival survived. After this he was sentenced for 11 years and when he got out he died from a heart attack
Why was there a land opportunity in America?
Many people saw america as a start of new life and around 40 million people emigrated. Some did this as they were affected from poverty and persecution so they emigrated to avoid this and start a new life. Especially after the titanic.
What were the push factors?
Pull:
America had a lot of fertile, cheap farmland which people could grow crops on
America was rich in natural resources such as coal iron and oil meaning that industries could grow quickly and there would be more jobs and opportunities for new businesses.
The American dream attracted many people as it was the idea that anyone could achieve success and prosperity.
Also, american workers were earning twice as much as in any other country.
What are the pull factors?
European towns and cities were very overcrowded
there was a lack of opportunity, strict system meant that the wealthy has the best land whereas lower classes found it difficult.
There was a lot of poverty
Persecution/ discrimination for race and religion for example jews, there were organised attacks against jews
What was the impact of immigrants?
America was filled with different religions and cultures
Many businesses were made, the american dream was becoming reality for some
However working and living conditions were very poor, and were poorly educated, they experienced prejudice as people thought they came to steal jobs
America’s “open door” closes as the government didn’t believe that the immigrants helped in the life and culture of America. There was a law that banned any immigrant over 16 years that couldn’t read a sentence of 40 words. Many europeans weren’t educated so could enter america. The quota law allowed 350,000 immigrants to enter a year however the national origins act reduced this number.
America started to get overcrowded, immigrants taking over jobs, less jobs available
How were african americans treated in america?
There were many lynchings in america mostly in southern states and police make no effort to stop it. These victims were probably innocent and it was meant to remind Af Ams that the white americans were in control
Hundreds of af ams were forcibly taken to america to work as slaved for example to work as servants. Slavery was eventually abolished and the whites were afraid of african americans becoming too powerful in the southern states so they created the Jim Crow laws to Af Ams segregated.This meant that they couldn’t use the same hotels, bars , restaurants, swimming pools, libraries and much more. they were not allowed to vote unless they passed a literacy test which was deliberately made hard so they didn’t pass.
They were also segregated in the military.
What happened when African americans left the south?
There was strong racial discrimination in the south so most af ams moved to the north hoping to live a better life as there were more jobs.
However, they would live in the poorest parts areas, pay was still low, they were the first to get fired snd last to be given jobs. Some factories only employed white workers or paid black workers the lowest.
There were many riots fighting for their rights
What was the black renaissance?
There were many talented Af ams such as writers, musicians, poets and artists in harlem which made it a centre of creativity and black culture. Some whites enjoyed their talents such as their jazz music and called this the black renaissance
