prohibition in the 1920's

• what was the temperance movement?

  a movement that opposed alcohol
• what were the names of the main temperance movements?

  anti-saloon league and women's christian temperance union
• temperance campaign movements did what?

  persuaded people to stop drinking alcohol
• the temperance movements believed that alcohol damaged family life
• the temperance movements were successful in local states, later becoming a national campaign
• why did business and factory owners support the temperance movement?

  they believed that workers would be more reliable if they did not drink
• supporters of prohibition became known as the what?

  dries
• the dries said that how many babies were smothered yearly by drunken parent?

  3,000
• the dries claimed that communism thrived on drink and led to lawlessness in cities
• the 18th amendment was known as the volstead act
• the 18th amendment prohibited the sale, manufacture and transportation of intoxicating liquors.
• the 18th amendment did not ban the consumption of alcohol
• prohibition lasted from 1920 to 1933
• levels of alcohol consumption did decrease by 20% in the early 1920's
• how did the government enforce prohibition?

  thye employed prohibition officers who arrested offenders
• what were illegal drinking dens called?

  speakeasies
• By 1925 there were more speakeasies in US cities than there had been saloons in 1919
• it was impossible to enforce prohibition because:

  • there was not enough money to finance all the raids that were needed
  • there were not enough agents and they were poorly paid
• congress had tehir won bootlegger called George cassidy
• George Cassidy made 25 deliveries of alcohol to congress a week
• Al Capone made $60M a year from his speakeasies
• moonshine was homemade whiskey made in illegal stills
• most speakeasy's were supplied by bootleggers
• what is a bootlegger?

  someone who supplies illegal alcohol
• two thirds of illegal alcohol came from Canada
• why did so much alcohol come over the Canadian border?

  it was such a long border for police and authorities to monitor
• prohibition lead to massive corruption
• big breweries stayed in business by bribing local government officials
• it was difficult to get bootleggers convicted as senior officials and judges were in the pay of criminals
• it is suggested that gangsters made about $2B from the sale of illegal alcohol
• why did prohibition end?

  • bootleggers continued to supply alcohol
  • people continued to drink alcohol in speakeasies
  • the gangsters and become rich and powerful
  • the police had become corrupt
  • it had made the USA lawless
• what was the strongest reason for prohibition edning?

  revenue could be made by taxing the alcohol again