Prohibition

Question 1

When was the 18th amendment of the US constitution introduced and did it ban?

Answer 1

• 1919

- banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol

Question 2

Which campaign groups from the temperance movement fought for prohibition?

Answer 2

• women’s Christian temperance union

- Anti-Saloon league

Question 3

What methods did the women’s temperance union use to campaign against alcohol?

Answer 3

-peaceful methods such as marches

Question 4

What methods did the Anti-Saloon league use to campaign against alcohol?

Answer 4

-directly pressured the government

Question 5

What arguments did both use to encourage prohibition? (4)

Answer 5

• alcohol damaged society, affected family life because it led to unemployment, wages being wasted in the bar and domestic violence
• led to sinful behaviour; religious groups believed alcohol was responsible for sin
• weakened the economy; workers who were drunk were less efficient
• created problems for a country at war; grain needed for food production rather then manufacturing beer

Question 6

What were the positive effects of prohibition?

Answer 6

• health of Americans improved (liver disease fell from 29.5 per 100,000 in 1911 to 10.7 in 1929)
• fairly popular measure (40% pop in favour)

Question 7

How much did liver disease fall by from 1911>1929?

Answer 7

-liver disease fell from 29.5 per 100,000 in 1911 to 10.7 in 1929

Question 8

What were the negative effects of prohibition in terms of jobs and government?

Answer 8

• farmers and saloons suffered
• thousands lost their jobs=less to spend on leisure + consumer goods
• government lost income ($11 billion by 1931) =harmed US economy

Question 9

Negative effects of prohibition in terms of criminals. (5)

Answer 9

• ordinary Americans turned into criminals
• people smuggled drinks such as Canadian whiskey + Mexican tequila
• tried to turn industrial or medicinal alcohol into something drinkable
• visited speakeasies to purchase illegal drinks
• make homemade moonshine

Question 10

What was the result of prohibition?

Answer 10

• drinking became underground activity

- put lives at risk from poor quality moonshine e.g in NYC, 34 people died from wood alcohol poisoning

Question 11

How did poor enforcement lead to problems?

Answer 11

• US treasury department only given $2 million to stop bootleggers, alcohol manufacturers + speakeasy owners
• 5 states refused to enforce prohibition
• American juries refused to convict law breakers= out of 6904 prohibition cases between 1921 and 1924 in nyc only 30 were convicted

Question 12

How did prohibition effect gangsters?

Answer 12

• gangs could provide illegal drink=gangs grew
• became v violent>by Nov 1924 there were 200 gang related murders in Chicago
• controlled local politicians> Big Bill Thompson re-elected in 1927 due to his support
• turned ordinary Americans into criminals> residents of Chicago’s south side helped manufacture 200 gallons per day

Question 13

How did gangsters make prohibition ineffective?

Answer 13

• bribed low paid prohibition agents preventing them from enforcing the law
• by 1929, alcohol consumption was back to 70% of it’s 1914 level
• New York= home to 32,000 speakeasies

Question 14

When did prohibition end?

Answer 14

-1933