Post on 23-Feb-2016
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BELLWORK Who were the “Lost Generation?” What did
they write about? What was the National Origins Act of 1924? Who was Langston Hughes? What did he
write about? What was the theme of Harlem Renaissance
art? THINKER: What might happen if the
production and sale of soda was made illegal? Do you think Americans would stop drinking it?
Prohibition 18th Amendment passed on January 16,
1920 Made the manufacture, transportation and
sale of alcohol illegal. Goals
Eliminate drunkenness and domestic abuseGet rid of saloons where prostitution and
gambling thrivedPrevent work-related accidents
Prohibition’s Effectiveness
The new amendment was widely ignored.
It created a bigger contrast between rural and urban areas.
The New Criminal Bootlegger:
supplier of illegal alcohol.
They would produce their own alcohol or smuggle it into the U.S. through Canada and the Caribbean.
Consumption Bootleggers would
secretly supply alcohol to restaurants and nightclubs.
Speakeasies: bars that operated illegally.
Had to have membership to be allowed in these underground bars.
“Some speakeasies are disguised behind florists’ shops, or behind undertakers’ coffins. I know one, right in Broadway, which is entered through an imitation telephone-box; it has excellent beer.”
-Paul Morand, 1929
Organized Crime The complexity of bootlegging, along
with high profits, led to the development of organized crime.
Gangsters competed to supply liquor, but clashed with other gangs.
Rival groups fought in the streets with machine guns and shot guns.
The gangs moved into other illegal activities, including gambling and prostitution.
Crime Gangsters bribed police and other
government officials to ignore their illegal operations.
Gangsters forced local businesses to pay a fee for “protection.”
If anyone refused, their business or home would be blown up.
Terrified citizens and supporters of prohibition were forced to comply with their demands.
Homicide Rates
Al Capone Al Capone,
nicknamed “Scarface,” was the most famous gangster of Chicago’s organized crime network.
Capone bought the cooperation of police, city officials, politicians, and judges.
Al Capone Capone murdered
and bribed his way through Chicago for a decade.
He was finally arrested and imprisoned in 1931 for income-tax evasion.
“All I ever did was supply a demand that was pretty popular”
- Al Capone
The End of Prohibition Prohibition became
more unpopular during the Great Depression.
Congress repealed the 18th Amendment in 1933.
The 21st Amendment declared an end to prohibition.
Closure Why did people support
prohibition? Why were people against it?
In your own words, describe a bootlegger and a speakeasy.
Who was Al Capone?