Delaney Cornforth American History Segment 2 Prohibition Assignment: Laws and Trials of the 1920s 3/10/14

Instructions: Answer the following 15 questions with well-developed sentences. Support your answers with specific details.

After reading about the subject, define the word Prohibition as it pertains to the 18th amendment. Prohibition was a movement that sought to lower the amount of alcohol consumed by Americans, and did this by removing the legality of brewing, buying, and selling alcohol. 2. Why did the United States have a Prohibition movement and enact Prohibition? There were quite a few reasons that the United States had a Prohibition movement, but the main reason was that the leaders of the movement were alarmed by the drinking behavior of Americans and how that drinking behavior was spreading around. 3. What was the ultimate goal (purpose) of the 18th amendment? The ultimate goal of the 18th Amendment was to limit (and in some minds: to eradicate) the consumption of alcohol by Americans. 1. Speakin Easy 4. If I wanted to drink alcohol during the Prohibition, where would I go? You would go to a speakeasy, which was an undercover bar hidden within a legitimate business. 5. What would I want if I asked for the real McCoy? You would be asking for genuine, quality liquor. 6. What would I be making if I was cooking tarantula juice and some coffin varnish? You would be making homemade alcoholic beverages. 7. If I was for Prohibition, what two organizations would I want to join? Two organizations that you might want to join would be the Anti-Saloon League, and the Womans Christian Temperance Union. After examining the resources carefully, assess each piece of evidence as you address the questions below: 8. According to Mrs. Peabody, what specific conditions have improved in America as a result of Prohibition proving that it worked? Mrs. Peabody talks about how the health of the

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nation had been improved, as testified to by the insurance companies, and that the morals and economy has improved as well. What specific evidence does Fiorella LaGuardia offer to prove Prohibition does not work? In your answer, address a minimum of three details he provides as evidence. Fiorella LaGuardia gives evidence to many things, but three specific things were: at least 1,000,000 quarts of liquor was being consumed in the United States each day, that at least $1,000,000,000 was lost to the National Government a year, but the liquor traffic continued all the same, and that there were, then, sixty-two different varieties of speakeasies selling liquor and flourishing. Does the data demonstrate that Prohibition worked or failed? There was a significant drop in the amount of alcohol drunk that took thirty years or so to grow back to its original levels, which shows that Prohibition at least was effective while it lasted. So yes, technically, it worked. What does this data show about the increase or decrease of consumption and production of alcohol during the 1920s? During the 1920s, there was a large decrease in the consumption and production of alcohol, though it didnt disappear entirely. The numbers dropped significantly, but were still well above zero. What are two strong arguments the Federal Council of Churches presents to support Prohibition? The Federal Council of Churches actually presented many strong points, and backed them up with evidence, but two of those points were that 1. The liquor traffic with the accompanying saloon was allied with political corruption, crime, gambling, and prostitution. And 2. That it is contrary to democratic ideals and to enlightened policy to permit any citizen to make profit from a business which is detrimental to his neighbor. As to the first, they make the point that having saloons was proven by the past to create problems. It attracted crime, gambling, and prostitution, which the FCC found distasteful. (As did many Americans.) As to the second, they make a fair point. It is against democratic ideals to allow someone to make money to the detriment of someone else. What are two facts that argue that Prohibition failed? Two facts that argue that Prohibition failed could be: 1. As a result of Prohibition, there became a widespread disrespect for law. New York City had 30,000 speakeasies, which were illegal, and government men (such as police) were being paid off to ignore them. Some even had their own illegitimate businesses. 2. According to surveys taken, the Prohibition Bureaus agents only managed to stop five percent of the rum runners and only ten percent of the stills. Prohibition also helped along organized crime, causing hundreds of murders. Historical note: What did Amendment 21 do? Amendment 21 repealed Amendment 18. Write a one-paragraph recommendation on whether Prohibition should continue to be enforced or repealed as an American policy. Give at least three pieces of evidence to support your recommendation. Your paragraph should be no less than six sentences with no spelling errors.

Prohibition should be repealed from the American Constitution. While there are many benefits, such as lower amounts of alcohol being consumed, the disadvantages far outweigh their opposites. Not

only has Prohibition caused many people to disregard the law completely, such as those who run speakeasies, the rum runners, and the owners of the stills, but it has also given even more of a standing to organized crime, causing murder to run rampant. Prohibition has allowed corruption to run through the government, from pay-offs to political figures taking part in the illegal acts themselves. Some believe that Prohibition, given time, could completely eradicate the liquor trade, and perhaps they are right. But, what we must consider is whether or not we are willing to pay the price for that dream. We need to decide if the hundreds of murders, the widespread rise in crime, and the blatant disregard for the law is worth it. I say that it is not. Repeal Prohibition, and stop the crimes it causes, before it spreads even farther.