Temperance/Prohibition By: Dean Selegue, Davin Miller, Javier Lopez
Historical events leading up to Prohibition World War I: When World War I started, people would try to stop the making of alcohol, because the United States would try to save the wheat for the troops. If you drank alcohol then you were considered unpatriotic, because you were drinking food for the troops. 1900 starting in Kiowa Kansas, Carry Nation begins 10 year crusade destroying saloons. December 10, 1913; Women's Christian Temperance Union and Anti-Saloon League marched in Washington D.C. demanding a prohibition Amendment to the Constitution.
What Prohibition was about in the United States It was a legal prevention of the manufacturing, selling ,and transportation of alcoholic beverages between the years 1920 to 1933. Prohibition was also known as the Volstead Act. It was finally enacted by the Eighteenth Amendment, in December 1917. Prohibition also has caused rebellions in the United States. The most notorious were the Mafia. The Mafia got a lot of the power during this era, because they were able to sneak liquor into “dry” areas where Prohibition is enforced. Prohibition = The act of prohibiting or the condition of being prohibited (Who would’ve thought!)
People of significance during Prohibition Bishop James Cannon was the chairman of the Board of Methodist Temperance, and spearheaded the Anti-Alcohol Movement in the 1920s. He was one of the strongest advocators for Prohibition that he scare d everyone. Andrew Volstead was a Representative from Minnesota; born near Kenyon, Goodhue County, Minn., October 31, 1860. He was the one who introduced the National Prohibition Acts.
More people of significance during Prohibition Al Capone was the leader of one of the ruling families in the Chicago area at the time and gained an immense amount of power through the illegal sale of alcohol. (Executed the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.) Mary Hunt, a well published author who advocated for prohibition, created books to teach children the wrongs of drinking alcohol. Even though she died before Prohibition, she still had an impact.
Groups that impacted Prohibition The Mafia took advantage of Prohibition, and saw it as a mean of profiting on alcohol. The KKK sought to destroy the production of alcohol, and saw Prohibition as a means of doing so. The Anti -Saloon League it had many allies for example:Woman's Christian Temperance Union. With their allies they worked to help enact the Prohibition in the United States.
The Mafia The American Mafia ran many operations after its birth during prohibition, most of the operations revolving around the transportation of alcohol initially. This caused constant crime and violent tension in the inner cities, and booming power the American Mafia received. Even after Prohibition, they continued to remain powerful but carried out different operations.
The KKK During Prohibition, the KKK sought to enforce the 18th amendment and did so by attempting to stop Mafia operations which was ridiculously dumb considering the fact that the Mafia was far more powerful and had corrupt police and politicians on their side. They really didn’t affect the production of alcohol due to the Mafia’s superior weapons and power.
Anti-Saloon League The Anti-Saloon League was a major lobbyist for prohibition during the 1900s. One of their leaders named Wayne Wheeler used “pressure politics” to influence the opinions of the public. In 1906 ministers from Yuma, Tucson, and Phoenix tried to permanently close all saloons in the state. The league was abruptly denied by a local-opinion election. This election gave local areas the power to determine if there would be saloons or not
Consequences of Prohibition There were many consequences due to Prohibition, but one of the more notable ones was the drastic increase in violence. The constant tensions between rival bootleggers caused many gun fights that always led to death. The most popular massacre that was subsequently due to Prohibition was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
Consequences of Prohibition Alcohol consumption actually increased during Prohibition. Prohibition increased people’s drinking indulgence, as seen by empirical data. Initially, drinking dropped to 30% in comparison to Pre-Prohibition, but drastically increased to 60-70% in comparison to Pre-Prohibition.
Consequences of Prohibition Not only did alcohol consumption increase during Prohibition, but unregulated manufacturing and absence of adequate material led to a large amount of the alcohol being sold and consequently consumed that was unfit for human consumption. The alcohol would often be tainted with lead, clostridium botulinum (botulism,) and E. Coli.
Historical Events During Prohibition St. Valentines Massacre: Al Capone had seven of Bugs Moran’s men murdered in Chicago. Police can’t find evidence for the massacre being related to Al Capone, but everyone knows it was him. 1929 Stock Market crashes: This affected people by they don’t have enough money to buy illegal alcohol and alcohol is still illegal. 1922: Frank Allen Mather signs on with the Treasury Department to scour Nelson County, Kentucky for signs of Moonshiners. 1926: Al Capone blamed for murder of Prosecutor, Billy Mcswiggen
Effects after Prohibition The effects of Prohibition lasted far after the closure of Prohibition. It permanently corrupted American Law Enforcement, and caused a lingering disrespect for the law. It caused many deaths that were related to gang violence, and the poor manufacturing quality of the alcohol. The gangs that were strengthened by prohibition stayed in power for quite some time.
“Fun” Facts ● It was never actually illegal to drink during the Prohibition Cocktails gained popularity during the ● prohibition because the other ingredients would mask the taste of poorly made alcohol Al Capone made over $60 million off of ● alcohol sales in 1927 alone ● Drug stores continued to sell alcohol and called it “medicine”
Work Cited Hoyt, Alaia. "How Prohibition Wor." How Stuff Works . N.p., n.d. Web. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Prohibition." Encyclopædia Britannica . Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 01 Feb. 2017. Encyclopaedia Britannica." Wikipedia . Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017. McFisher, Lacy. "Prohibition People." Prohibitionrepeal.com . N.p., 2012. Web. Mitchell Shelton, The Harvey Goldberg Center for Excellence in Teaching. "Anti-Saloon League | Temperance & Prohibition." Anti-Saloon League | Temperance & Prohibition . N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017. "Prohibition." The Free Dictionary . Farlex, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
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