Prohibition (T1)

Question 1

When was the Eighteenth Amendment introduced?

Answer 1

1918

Question 2

What was the Eighteenth Amendment?

Answer 2

Banned the sale, transportation and manufacture of intoxicating liquor in the USA.

Question 3

What did the separate Volstead Act define intoxicating liquor as?

Answer 3

Any drink containing more than 0.5% alcohol.

Question 4

Who was the first Prohibition commissioner?

Answer 4

John F. Kramer.

Question 5

What was a reason for Prohibition? (Women groups)

Answer 5

Many women’s groups saw alcohol as a means by which men oppressed them.

Question 6

What was another reason for Prohibition (Businesses)?

Answer 6

Big businesses saw drunkenness as leading to danger and inefficiency in the workplace.

Question 7

Which two businesses were big supporters of Prohibition?

Answer 7

The Rockefeller Corporation and Heinz.

Question 8

What was a final reason for Prohibition (Religious groups)?

Answer 8

Many religious groups believed alcohol was the work of the devil and was overwhelmingly responsible for sin and undoing.

Question 9

Who tended to be supporters of Prohibition?

Answer 9

Overwhelmingly Protestant, live in small towns in the South and West, and vote Republican.

Question 10

Who tended to be opponents of Prohibition?

Answer 10

Likely to be urban, of non-northern European ethnic origin, Roman Catholic and vote Democrat.

Question 11

By 1917 how many states had passed Prohibition laws?

Answer 11

27, and there were ‘dry’ counties where alcohol was not allowed in several other states.

Question 12

What two factors led to the increased popularity of Prohibition?

Answer 12

• Impact of the war
• Disorganisation of the opposition

Question 13

How did WW1 change attitude towards alcohol?

Answer 13

• Grain was used in the production of alcoholic drinks was needed for food instead.
• Many people felt patriotic to do without alcohol.

Question 14

Who were the largest brewers at the time?

Answer 14

Ruppert, Pabst and Leiber were all of German origin.

Question 15

How did the war impact peoples feelings towards these companies?

Answer 15

Anti-German feeling led many not to buy alcohol from these companies.

Question 16

What did people believe alcohol was doing?

Answer 16

Led young soldiers, who were away from home for the first time, into temptation and sinful ways - so best to remove it from their grasp.

Question 17

How was there disorganisation of the opposition?

Answer 17

There was a march and rally in New York City, a parade in Baltimore and a resolution against taking away the working man’s beer by the American Federation of Labour.

Question 18

Was there any significant protest against Prohibition?

Answer 18

No, other than this there was little protest.

Question 19

How much did the Anti-Saloon League estimate for an appropriate budget for Prohibition?

Answer 19

$5 million to enforce it successfully.

Question 20

How much was Commissioner Kramer given to enforce Prohibition?

Answer 20

$2 million

Question 21

How many miles of coastline and land border does the USA have?

Answer 21

18,700 miles

Question 22

What was ‘rum row’?

Answer 22

The waters just outside the national limits.

Question 23

How much of smuggled alcohol was intercepted?

Answer 23

Only about 5% of alcohol coming into the country illegally.

Question 24

How much alcohol was seized in 1924?

Answer 24

$40 million

Question 25

How much was the volume of alcohol business measured to be?

Answer 25

$800 million

Question 26

Who were 'bootleggers'?

Answer 26

People who went into business as producers and distributers of illegal alcohol.

Question 27

Who was the 'King of Bootleggers'?

Answer 27

George Remus

Question 28

What did George Remus do?

Answer 28

Bought up various breweries on the eve of Prohibition for the manufacture of medicinal alcohol.

Question 29

How did Remus maintain order?

Answer 29

Hired an army of 3,000 gangsters to hijack his products and divert them to the illegal stills of the big cities.

Question 30

How much did Remus make in 5 years?

Answer 30

$5 million

Question 31

What was industrial alcohol?

Answer 31

Was easily diverted and redistilled to turn it into an alcoholic drink.

Question 32

What was 'moonshine'?

Answer 32

Illegal alcohol, named because it was manufactured in remote areas by the light of the moon.

Question 33

What were the dangers of producing 'moonshine'?

Answer 33

- Poisoning from wood alcohol, although not common, did happen during this period. - 34 people died in NYC due to this.

Question 34

How many Treasury agents were deployed to enforce Prohibition?

Answer 34

3,000

Question 35

How much were Treasury agents paid?

Answer 35

$2,500 to shut down an illegal industry whose profits were estimated at $2 billion.

Question 36

What is an example of a Treasury agent going corrupt?

Answer 36

One federal agent was said to have made $7 million selling illegal licenses and pardons to bootleggers.

Question 37

What is an example of divisons among supporters?

Answer 37

The Anti-Saloon League was bitterly divided.

Question 38

What was the division in the Anti-Saloon League?

Answer 38

Some members sought stricter enforcement laws, believing the League should actually be given power over appointment of officers.

Question 39

What was the opposition in the Ant-Saloon League?

Answer 39

Others emphasised education programmes to deter people from drinking in the first place.

Question 40

How did the role of the government lead to the failure of Prohibition?

Answer 40

No one in government seemed to be prepared to say openly that Prohibition could not be enforced.

Question 41

How does the role of the government relate to the context of 1920s America?

Answer 41

This was a period of reduced role by federal government, and most state governments were at best lukewarm in enforcement.

Question 42

How was there a shift in attitude for Americans?

Answer 42

For many Americans, particularly those living in the cities, their main aim in life became having a good time.

Question 43

How did the popularity of 'speakeasies' grow?

Answer 43

Illegal drinking in gangster-run speakeasies became popular with fashionable city dwellers.

Question 44

What did Prohibition lead to?

Answer 44

A huge growth in organised crime and gangsterism.

Question 45

What did mobsters do?

Answer 45

Controlled territories by force and established monopolies in the manufacture and sale of alcohol.

Question 46

Why were these territories defended violently?

Answer 46

Potentially huge profitable enterprises were involved.

Question 47

Who was John Torrio?

Answer 47

Ran most of the illegal alcohol business in Chicago and retired with $30 million.

Question 48

Who was Al Capone?

Answer 48

Torrio's chosen successor, saw himself as embodying the spirit of free competition and enterprise in the USA.

Question 49

How much business had Al Capone done by 1932?

Answer 49

It was estimated his gang had done $70 million worth of business.

Question 50

How was Capone violent in protecting his business?

Answer 50

He built up an army of 700 gangsters who committed over 300 murders.

Question 51

What was the St. Valentines Day Massacre?

Answer 51

Five of Capone's men, dressed as policemen, 'arrested' seven of the rival 'Bugs Moran' gang and shot over 100 bullets into them.

Question 52

How was there a growth in lack of support for Prohibition?

Answer 52

- Illegal drinking made criminals of a good percentage of the population. - Prohibition worked to the detriment of the poor.

Question 53

How was there still support for Prohibition?

Answer 53

- Supporters argued that alcohol fell from 2.6 gallons per person per year to 1 gallon. - Arrests for drunkenness fell, as did deaths from alcoholism.

Question 54

When did Prohibition come to an end?

Answer 54

President Roosevelt finally abolished Prohibition in 1933.

Question 55

What was one of the reasons for Prohibition come to an end?

Answer 55

A report set up by Hoover estimated that trying to enforce Prohibition took up 66% of the entire law enforcement budget.