Prohibition

Subtitle
Using source A, answer the
following questions:
1. What was prohibition?
2. Why did some
Americans want
prohibition?
3. Who would benefit if
people voted yes to
Prohibition?
L.Q: To what extent was prohibition a
success in 1920s America?

▪ Thursday 19th October 2023

▪ L.Os:
▪ To assess how successful prohibition was in 1920s
America.
▪ To examine why prohibition was successful or
unsuccessful in 1920s America.
Definition of Prohibition

▪ In pairs, you have 3 minutes to write a definition of Prohibition in a

sentence. We will then write a definition as a class.

▪ Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law.

▪ more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture,
storage, transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of
alcoholic beverages in the U.S. in 1920-1933.
 Prohibition by States 1893 - 1918

1915
1918
1893
Prohibition - For

▪ Social campaigners who worried about the social impact of

drunkenness, crime, violence and domestic abuse.
▪ Temperance societies such as the Woman’s Christian Temperance
Union which opposed alcohol for religious and moral reasons.
▪ Some business leaders who believed that alcohol lessened the
efficiency of their workers.
▪ The Anti-Saloon League which was the most successful group to
organise politically to put pressure on the government to ban
alcohol.
Prohibition - Against

▪ In pairs, discuss why you think some people were against

Prohibition in the 1920s and who would prohibition
impact negatively.
▪ Write 3 sentences explaining this.
Prohibition - Against

▪ When Maine passed a strict prohibition law in 1851, the result was not
temperance, but resentment among the city's working class and Irish
immigrant population. A deadly riot in Portland in 1855 lead to the
law's repeal.
▪ Groups such as Association Against the Prohibition Amendment and
the Brewers campaign as well those that benefited from Prohibition
but made money off of the illegal sale of alcohol.
▪ One powerful argument against Prohibition had always been that
taxes on alcohol sales provided the government with 40% of its
revenue. Now, the Prohibitionists argued, those vital funds could be
raised by other means.
 Prohibition

▪ Prohibition had deep roots – a number of groups had led a temperance campaign since the 19th
century.
▪ Pressure for reform increased with mass immigration and urbanisation after 1890
▪ Women's Christian Temperance Movement and Anti-Saloon League (most effective politically)
▪ Wayne Wheeler led the ASL and gained support from Progressives. Once Governor of Ohio he
pushed through the Volstead Act.
▪ The political situation changed after the war (women’s suffrage) enabling supporters of Prohibition
to achieve their goal.
▪ War – aided Prohibition. Restrictions of drinking were in place to safe-guard war production.
▪ Eighteenth Amendment was voted through Congress – took away rights and freedoms of the people.
▪ Volstead Act passed in 1920 – outlawing the sale, manufacture or transportation of intoxicating
liquors.
Debate

▪ Split yourselves into two groups, and research your

argument.

▪ Write a speech to address congress the cause of Prohibition

and try to persuade them to your side.
BELL WORK

▪ Continue preparing in your groups for the

debate, you have 10 minutes.
Debate
 Class Discussion based on
research from previous lesson.

Why would prohibition increase

crime?
How and why did Prohibition lead to the
rise of organised crime?

▪ Using the cards, sort them into the following 3 groups:

▪ Group 1: Reasons why organised crime grew during the Prohibition era.
▪ Group 2: Examples of crime bosses, gangs and crimes during the
Prohibition era.
▪ Group 3: Effects of organised crime on society.

▪ As we go through these stick these into your books with the above
headings.
 Gangsters

Create a quick fact-file on each

man
▪ BoD/DoD:
▪ Nicknames:
▪ Activities: (good as well if you
find anything)
▪ Associates:
▪ Imprisonment: (If at all)
Why do you think FDR would consider
ending Prohibition in 1933?
To what extent was
Prohibition a “noble
experiment”?

LO: To assess if Prohibition was a ‘noble experiment’

 Why was Prohibition repealed?
▪ The reasons for ending Prohibition were mainly financial and practical:
▪ The National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement, also known as the Wickersham
Commission, set up by President Hoover, said Prohibition was unenforceable;
▪ unregulated production of alcohol was leading to too many deaths;
▪ pressure groups, such as the Women’s Organisation for National Prohibition Reform, campaigned
vigorously for it to end - women had gained the vote in 1920 so politicians paid more attention to
them;
▪ Prohibition had not led to a decrease in crime, it actually led to increased prostitution and gambling,
organised by gangsters, and more corruption in government;
▪ the cost of enforcement was very high ($13.4 million);
▪ government income from taxes on alcohol had decreased by $11 billion;
▪ rising unemployment in the late 1920s meant jobs were needed and the alcohol industry could
provide them;
▪ influential industrialists, such as JD Rockefeller Jr, wanted Prohibition ended because of increased
crime and disregard for the law.
 Why was Prohibition repealed?

▪ Complete the task on the sheet

▪ Then answer each question in full sentences.
▪ Ensure you provide strong evidence (dates, names, key figures etc. for each
answer)

▪ Why did public opinion change towards Prohibition in the late 20s and early
30s?
▪ Why were many politicians accused of being hypocritical in regards to
Prohibition?
▪ Why were economic reasons significant in the end of Prohibition?
▪ What do you believe was the main reason Prohibition ended?
The ending of Prohibition

▪ The Twenty-First Amendment to the Constitution in

1933 ended Prohibition. FDR was “damp,” but
signaled he would sign 21st Amendment
▪ 73% majority in rural & urban districts ratified the
amendment by Dec. 1933
▪ In future, laws on alcohol were to be State, not
Federal, government matters.
 Plenary
To what extent was Prohibition a “noble experiment”?

▪ Using the following

table, answer the above
question.

▪ Remember PEECAL.