Prohibition

Question 1

What and when was prohibition?

Answer 1

It was the nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcohol from 1920-1933

Question 2

Why was prohibition introduced - morality?

Answer 2

Alcohol was seen by some to be contributing to a decline in moral values. Some politicians thought America would be a better, healthier place if alcohol were banned.

Question 3

Why was prohibition introduced - religion?

Answer 3

Many religious organisations and churches opposed alcohol because they thought it caused a variety of social problems such as violence, poverty, addiction and debt.

Question 4

Why was prohibition introduced - patriotism?

Answer 4

Many beers on sale in America were either imported from Germany or brewed by German immigrants. During the First World War it was argued that Americans who drank this beer were traitors.

Question 5

Why was prohibition introduced - rural America?

Answer 5

People in rural areas saw the new and growing towns and cities as places where alcohol-fuelled violence and crime were commonplace. There had been a strong campaign against alcohol, led by pressure groups such as the Anti-Saloon League.

Question 6

Roughly how many prohibition agents were there?

Answer 6

Around 1500

Question 7

What was bootlegging?

Answer 7

Smuggling in alcohol by sea or over the border from Mexico or Canada

Question 8

Why was prohibition hard to enforce?

Answer 8

• it was near impossible to stop bootlegging
• millions of people were willing to break the law and continue drinking
• it was very easy to get alcohol because criminal gangs got involved in making and supplying it. They ran speakeasies (illegal bars), which sold bootleg alcohol and moonshine (home-made spirit)
• the gangs made so much money that they were able to avoid arrest by bribing police officers , prohibition agents, border guards and judges

Question 9

What was racketeering?

Answer 9

When businessmen paid money to gangs to stop them smashing up their premises.

Question 10

What is organised crime?

Answer 10

A type of crime that took off in the 1920s. Examples of organised crime include fixing horse and dog races, running brothels and racketeering.

Question 11

How much did Al ‘Scarface’ Capone make a week through organised crime?

Answer 11

$2 million

Question 12

Why were organised crime leaders rarely arrested or charged with anything?

Answer 12

They had a great deal of control over the police and no witnesses ever wanted to come forward against them.

Question 13

Why was prohibition repealed (got rid of)?

Answer 13

• in New York there were more speakeasies than there had been bars before prohibition
• instead of America becoming less violent, it had seen the rise of gangsters, organised crime and police corruption
• if alcohol was legalised, it would create many legal jobs in the brewing industry
• the government could tax alcohol if it was legal

Question 14

How many speakeasies were there in the USA?

Answer 14

approximately 200,000