Prohibition Flashcards
EXAMPLE OF EFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT ON PROHIBITION
Izzy Einstein and Mo Smith (4000 arrests in 5 years)
WHAT DID THE 18TH AMENDMENT DO?
Banned the sale, transportation and manufacture of intoxicating liquor
WHAT DID THE VOLSTEAD ACT DO?
Defined anything as more than 0.5% of alcohol as “intoxicating liquor”
HOW DID THE WCTU VIEW ALCOHOL?
A way in which men could oppress women and a cause of domestic abuse
HOW DID THE BIG BUSINESS VIEW DRUNKENNESS??
They felt it led to danger and inefficiency in the work place. Heinz and Rockerfeller corporations supported prohibition.
HOW DID RELIGIOUS GROUPS VIEW PROHIBITION?
They believed alcohol was the work of the devil and was the cause of sin.
WHO SUPPORTED PROHIBITION?
Protestant people, those who lived in rural areas, republicans
WHO OPPOSED PROHIBITION?
Those who lived in urban areas, Southern European, Roman Catholics, Democrats
WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF WAR ON PROHIBITION?
Grain was used in the production of alcohol and was also needed for food, thus many felt it was patriotic to not have alcohol. This was emphasised when the 1917 Lever Act banned the use of grain in the manufacture of alcoholic drinks. Also the largest Brewers were German, Americans tended to boycott those.
HOW WAS THE OPPOSITION TO PROHIBITION UNORGANISED?
They made very minor efforts to protest, the March and Rally in NYC against taking away the working men’s beer by the American Federation of Labour
HOW DID THE GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFICULTIES CAUSE THE FAILURE OF PROHIBITION??
18700 miles of coastline and land borders became known as rum row. This enabled successful smuggling, in 1925 agents only intercepted 5% of ale coming into the country illegally
HOW DID BOOTLEGGERS CAUSE THE FAILURE OF PROHIBITION?
- Chemists could still sell alcohol on doctors prescriptions which led to widespread abuse.
- Bootleggers went o business and producers and distributors of illegal alcohol.
- George Remuss arranged for various breweries to obtain medicinal alcohol and allowed 3000 gangsters to hijack these products and diverts them to illegal stills.
HOW DID INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL CAUSE THE FAILURE OF PROHIBITION?
- Easily diverted into an alcoholic drink
- Moonshine
- No quality control
HOW DID THE DIVISION AMONGST SUPPORTERS CAUSE THE FAILURE OF PROHIBITION?
The dry lobby were ill equipped to enforce prohibition. The Anti Saloon League were bitterly divided as some sought stricter enforcement laws and some emphasised education programmes to deter people from drinking in the first place
WHAT WERE THE CAUSES OF PROHIBITION?
- Overconsumption
- New methods of distilling alcohol increased availability of higher percentage alcohol
- Unhealthy (Abused by medical experts/average teenager drank 88 bottles of whiskey a year)
- Domestic violence
- Rise of crime
- Increased bankruptcy
WHO WERE THE LEADERS OF THE WCTU?
Susan B. Anthony
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Frances Willard
AIMS OF THE WCTU
To ameliorate the living conditions of immigrants in squalid slums
Protect the rights of young children working in mills and factories
Improve public education
Secure Women’s rights
Have a prohibition amendment added to the constitution
METHODS OF THE WCTU
Lobbying for local laws restricting alcohol
Creating an anti-alcohol education campaign
LEADERS, SUPPORTERS AND KEY INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE ANTI SALOON LEAGUE
Wayne Wheeler Democrats Republicans Henry Ford Progressives KKK Populists Suffragists John D. Rockefeller NAACP International Workers of the World Andrew Canergie
WHY WERE THE ASL SUCCESSFUL
They were linked to various powerful groups
Anti-German fervor rose to a frenzy and ASL propaganda connected beer and brewers to Germans and treason
The ratification of the Tax Amendment and the lack of gov dependency on liquor taxes helped
WHAT WAS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF PROHIBITION
Expectations did not actually happen
-they expected clothing sales to sky rocket
-chewing gum, fruit juice and soft drink companies all expected prices to soar
Restaurants failed as they could not make a profit from liquor sale
Theatre revenues declined
Closing of breweries, distilleries and saloons led to elimination of thousands of jobs
In New York 75% of state revenue was from state liquor tax, this led to the loss of $11 billion in tax revenue and the cost of $300 million to enforce
HOW DID PEOPLE STILL SNEAK ALCOHOL
Pharmacists were allowed to dispense whiskey for illnesses, bootleggers used these pharmacies as a smokescreen for trade
Religious purposes
Fruit Juice with warnings it could turn into wine
WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM WITH ALCOHOL FROM THE BLACK MARKET
Quality of the alcohol began to decline
By 1945, 4500 had died from drinking tainted liquor
IMPACT OF PROHIBITION ON CRIME
Capone “dealt with flesh, prostitution as well as beer”
Gang violence was on the rise in almost every American city
Group of gangsters agreed to a national crime syndicate, they divided up the territories by federal bank system
St Valentines Day Massacre
Drug use increased
Hijacking of illegal alcohol
Increased use of media to project crime life-Capone “publicity thats what got me”
Capone took over Labour Union
