America Goes Dry “The Noble Experiment” The 18th Amendment and Prohibition

A. The Noble Experiment The Eighteenth Amendment (1919) banned the making, selling, and transporting of alcohol, which became

known as prohibition.

Supporters of prohibition hoped this new ban would decrease alcohol related crimes, alcohol related diseases, and decrease domestic abuse. Many employers also believed that banning alcohol would increase productivity in the workplace. (Prohibit = forbid) B. Why did prohibition fail? 1. Some people made their own illegal liquor known as moonshine (Bathtub Gin)

A man stands next to a still looking at the contents of a glass. The photo was taken by the Treasury Department sometime between 1921 and 1932.

Policeman standing alongside wrecked car and cases of moonshine, 1922 This is an official government document from the 1920s, a Medicinal Alcohol form. This form was used during the American Prohibition to acquire prescription alcohol, usually whiskey, for strictly medicinal purposes. 2. Bootleggers smuggled in liquor from Canada and the Caribbean. (Rum Runners) Rum runner sloop "Kirk and Sweeney" with contraband stacked on deck Coast guard Photo January 13, 1924

Rumrunner on fire in an attempt to destroy the evidence. Picture of barrels of liquor destined for the USA from West End Grand Bahama during U.S. prohibition, July, 1921 3. Speakeasies, or illegal bars, opened throughout the nation. What is the origin of the term speakeasy? Bartender's would often tell patrons to keep it down and "speak easy".

February 13, 1922. Washington, D.C. "Unidentified woman." Holding a "tipping cane" also known as a "cane flask" during Prohibition. Speakeasy Membership Cards U.S. Officials Destroying Liquor at the Brownsville Customs House, December 20, 1920. Police were sometimes “paid off” to avoid speakeasies. First time women were allowed in bars B. “Blind Pig”= A lower class speakeasy… drinks were inexpensive, but made with ingredients that might blind or even kill drinkers!

4. Prohibition encouraged gangsters, such as Al Capone, to smuggle liquor.

Gangster Al Capone Exploits Prohibition (2:41) Al “Scarface” Capone

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre 5. The Twenty-first Amendment repealed prohibition in 1933.