Prohibition in the USA

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Prohibition in the USA

The Noble Experiment that Failed

Learning Goals

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Explain the origins and goals of the Prohibition movement.

• Explain the rise of organised crime and key figures like Al Capone.

• Evaluate the social and economic impacts of the 18th Amendment.

• Identify the factors that led to the failure and repeal of Prohibition.

Key Vocabulary

Temperance

Movement advocating for reduced or abolished alcohol use.

18th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.

Bootlegger

One who smuggled or made illegal alcohol during Prohibition.

Speakeasy

An illicit bar that illegally sold alcoholic beverages during the 1920s.

The Path to the 18th Amendment

1914-1917

WWI Grain Shortage

Anti-German sentiment hit brewers; saving grain became patriotic.

December 1917

18th Amendment Passed

Congress banned the sale or transport of alcohol.

October 1919

The Volstead Act

This act defined 'liquor' and set enforcement mechanisms.

January 1920

Prohibition Begins

The 18th Amendment was ratified and took effect.

The passage of the 16th Amendment (1913) allowed a federal income tax, reducing reliance on alcohol tax revenue and making Prohibition financially possible. [law.cornell.edu]

A proposed amendment must receive a ⅔ majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The 18th amendment was passed in 1917.

Once proposed, an amendment must be approved by the states.

¾ of the states (38 out of 50) must vote to ratify.

Congress passed the amendment proposal on December 18, 1917, sending it to the states for ratification

The Constitution required approval from three‑fourths of the states.

The 18th Amendment achieved this threshold on January 16, 1919, completing ratification.

Drag and Drop

1

minute

00

second

+30 s

1914 - 1917

December 1917

October 1919

January 1920

WW1 grain shortage and anti-saloon campaign

18th Amendment passed banning the sale or transport of liquor

The Volstead Act was passed which enforced prohibition

The 18th Amendment is ratified and prohibition begins

Key Ratification Timeline

Dec 18, 1917: Congress passes the 18th Amendment and sends it to the states.

Jan 7, 1918: Mississippi becomes the first state to ratify.

Jan 16, 1919: Nebraska becomes the 36th state to ratify, reaching the three-fourths majority needed.

Jan 29, 1919: Acting Secretary of State Frank L. Polk certifies the ratification.

Jan 17, 1920: The 18th Amendment formally goes into effect

Origins of the Movement

Who wanted to ban alcohol?

Long before the 1920s, groups like the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the Anti-Saloon League campaigned for a 'dry' America.

Key Arguments for Prohibition:

• Social Reform: Alcohol was blamed for poverty, domestic violence, and crime.
  

• Religious Morality: Many Protestant groups viewed drinking as a sin.
  

• Factory Efficiency: Industrialists wanted sober workers to prevent accidents and increase output.

The passage of the 16th Amendment (1913) allowed a federal income tax, reducing reliance on alcohol tax revenue and making Prohibition financially possible. [law.cornell.edu]

A proposed amendment must receive a ⅔ majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Once proposed, an amendment must be approved by the states.

¾ of the states (38 out of 50) must vote to ratify.

Congress passed the amendment proposal on December 18, 1917, sending it to the states for ratification

The Constitution required approval from three‑fourths of the states.

The 18th Amendment achieved this threshold on January 16, 1919, completing ratification.

The Anti-Saloon League arguments

During World War I, the League successfully tied patriotism to support for Prohibition, arguing that alcohol production harmed the war effort and that brewers (often of German heritage) were unpatriotic.

The Anti-Saloon League arguments

During World War I, the League successfully tied patriotism to support for Prohibition, arguing that alcohol production harmed the war effort and that brewers (often of German heritage) were unpatriotic.

The Anti-Saloon League arguments

“Daddy’s in There—” appeared in an American newspaper as part of an Anti‑Saloon League campaign in 1917

By 1919 many individual states had banned the sale of alcohol. Pressure was placed on remaining states to ban it also.

Pressure for states to ratify the 18th Amendment

Pressure for states to ratify the 18th Amendment

Under the U.S. Constitution, amendments must be ratified by three‑fourths of the states, and at the time of the 18th Amendment (1917–1919), the United States had 48 states. Therefore, 36 states were required for ratification.

Nebraska became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on January 16, 1919, completing the constitutional requirement and putting national Prohibition into effect.

Why was prohibition successfully introduced in USA?

The Rise of Organised Crime

A Lucrative Black Market

Making alcohol illegal didn't stop people from drinking it; it just stopped them buying it legally. This created a massive opportunity for criminals.

The Gangsters

• Bootleggers smuggled alcohol from Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico.
  

• Speakeasies popped up everywhere, often run by mobsters.
  By 1926, there were 30 000 speakeasies in New York.
  

• Prohibition led directly to an increase in serious crime. Violence erupted as gangs fought for territory and control of the lucrative trade.

Al Capone: The Public Enemy

1

The Businessman

Capone ran a massive bootlegging operation in Chicago, earning millions of dollars tax-free. He was responsible for over 500 murders.

2

Violence & Control

He used bribery and violence, most notably the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, to eliminate rivals. Officials like Chicago mayor Big Bill Thompson and police chiefs were paid for their silence.

3

Public Image

Paradoxically, Capone was seen as a 'Robin Hood' by some for sponsoring charities that ran soup kitchens during the depression.

Impacts and Failure

Social & Economic Impacts:

• Disrespect for Law: Ordinary citizens became criminals by drinking, eroding respect for the law.
  

• Dangerous Alcohol: Bootleg liquor was often toxic (moonshine), causing blindness and death.
  

• Loss Tax Revenue: The government lost billions in potential alcohol taxes.
  

• Corruption: Police and politicians were routinely bribed by gangsters.

Impacts and Failure

Why it Failed:

1. Unenforceable: The government lacked the resources to police the vast borders and coastline.
   

2. High Demand: Public desire for alcohol remained incredibly high.
   

3. Organised Crime: Gangs became too powerful and wealthy.
   

4. The Great Depression: Legalising alcohol promised jobs and much-needed tax revenue.

Law and Order

Social Life

Respect for the Law

What was the impact of Prohibition?

Law and Order

Social Life

Respect for the Law

Prohibition resulted in the rise of crime and growth of organised crime.
The enforcement of prohibition overwhelmed the legal system and strained law courts.
There was also widespread corruption and bribery within law enforcement agencies.

Theres was a rise of illegal drinking establishments known as "speakeasies”. This saw a flourishing of music, dance, and entertainment. Jazz clubs and dance halls were popular venues.

Many restaurants and hotels suffered financially due to the loss of revenue from alcohol sales and were forced to sell ‘near beer’.

The government also lost a lot of tax revenue which affected government spending for social programs.

Prohibition had a detrimental impact on respect for the law in the United States. It led to widespread disregard for the law as corruption and violence, eroded public trust in government institutions and the legal system.

Legacy and Repeal

The 21st Amendment

In 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th, the only time an amendment has been repealed.

Lasting Legacy

• Organised Crime: Networks built during Prohibition moved into drugs and gambling.

• Regulatory Culture: The US shifted to regulating alcohol, a model for policy.

• Cultural Memory: The era of 'speakeasies' remains a romanticised history.

Identify the message of the source

"It's Yours, Brother, and You're Welcome to It!", was created by Clifford Berryman and published in the Washington Evening Star on February 6, 1930

It depicts the transfer of Prohibition enforcement responsibilities from the Treasury Department to the Department of Justice, a shift codified by the Williamson Act of 1930.

Message: The message of the source is that Prohibition enforcement was a chaotic, uncontrollable, and unwanted burden that no government department was able to manage effectively. The artist suggests that the policy was a "wildcat"—vicious and impossible to tame—which the Treasury Department was more than happy to get rid

What year was Prohibition repealed?

A

1918

B

1933

C

1929

D

1945

Which amendment enacted Prohibition?

A

21st Amendment

B

19th Amendment

C

18th Amendment

D

17th Amendment

What was illegal during Prohibition?

A

Alcohol production and sale

B

Marijuana use

C

Gambling

D

Cigarette production

What was a speakeasy?

A

Illegal bar during Prohibition

B

Dance hall

C

Legal brewery

D

Public library

Which organisation enforced Prohibition laws?

A

Alcoholic Beverage Control

B

Prohibition Bureau

C

Federal Bureau of Investigation

D

National Guard

Fill in the blanks

1. The National Prohibition Act, passed in 1919 to enforce the ban, was more commonly known as the Volstead Act

2. Prohibition banned the production, sale, and transport of alcohol.

3. Illegal bars that sold alcohol during this period were known as speakeasies.

4. The illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor was called bootlegging.

5. Due to the illegal alcohol trade, crime syndicates grew in power, led by figures like Al Capone in Chicago.

6. Because commercial alcohol was banned, people produced illegal, homemade alcohol known as moonshine.

7. Prohibition was finally repealed in 1933.

8. The 21st Amendment was passed to end Prohibition.

Volstead

alcohol

speakeasies

bootlegging

crime syndicates

Al Capone

moonshine

repealed

21st

19th

20th

booze

Rocky Maciano