Prohibition

Kate Martinetti/ Michelle Abraham

11th Grade American History

 

 

 

Introduction

Prohibition was a period in United States history from 1920-33 which reflected the changes in American values and culture after World War I.  In 1919, the passage of the 18th Amendment prohibited or banned the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.

 

 

Task

You are a reporter and your task is to investigate how effective this new policy of Prohibition is in improving the lives of people in New York City.  You will seek to find answers by interviewing and researching the impact of Prohibition on 4 different groups of people in society. You will make presentations in a PowerPoint and a two page written report describing the results of your investigation.

You will use the TIPS Public Policy Analysis format

 

 

Process

          Meeting with your group you will develop a plan of research that seeks to find answers to the impact of Prohibition on your target group in the population.  Among these groups are women, business owners who seek to sell alcohol beverages, local government officials, religious and political and social activists,

 

Using the 6 step process outlined by the Public Policy Analyst, you will answer the following steps:  http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/usppai1.html

 

 

          1. Define the problem.

2. Gather evidence of the problem using teacher supplied internet websites.

3. Identify the causes of the problem using teacher supplied internet websites.

          4. Evaluate Existing Public Policy using the internet and input data.

 

You will be required to complete 4 worksheets.

 

Each group will present to the class an oral presentation. This will not be any longer than 15minutes. 

Each group will present a written presentation.  This will be a two page report of your findings.  Every student will be assigned a particular task within the group and will be decided by group consensus.

Written Component Criteria will be as follows:

A two page report typed done in your own words. 

Do not plagiarize.

A cover sheet using the following format:

                   Title of Report

                   Name

                   Class 

                   Due Date (to be assigned) 

You can design the cover any way you choose.

Be sure to record all information in your endnotes. 

For better results, draft a first copy 

 

Oral Component Criteria will be as follows:

You will be assigned to work in groups of 5 (by the teacher)

Assign roles for each group member e.g. group leader, recorder, presenter etc.

Each person will be responsible for answering one of the following questions. 

 

Question#1:  Define and describe Prohibition.

Question#2:  How did Prohibition lead to a substantial rise in crime?

Question#3:  Explain public policy in the United States, with special reference to N.Y and Chicago regarding Prohibition.

Question#4:  How did the issue of Prohibition, ‘play’ in the Democratic presidential campaigns of 1924 and 1928?

Question#5:  Be an expert employed by the City of New York in 1920 and propose at least 3 solutions to the problems of bootlegging, speakeasies, rum-running from Canada and Mexico

Question#6:  Congress passed the Volstead Act to enforce the 18th Amendment in 1920.  As a group, select and explain the best policy solution you can come up with for the time. 

 

 

Research Questions

The following questions will aid you in your research:

 

1.  As part of the background study for your project, how did Prohibition succeed in 1846 in Maine?  How long was Maine a, “go dry” state?

 

2.  How did the need to conserve grain during World War I allow the Temperance Movement to gain credibility and support?

 

3.  After the Civil War, what led to the rise of the Prohibition Party, the Anti-Saloon League, Womens’ Christian Temperance Union?:

 

4.  How did the Volstead Act enforce the 18th Amendment?

 

5.  Why did cutting alcohol consumption in the country lead to illegal activities such as bootlegging, rum-running and the Speakeasy?

 

6.  If you ran a Speakeasy in New York City in the 1920s, list 5 things you would need to do to have a successful business operation?

 

7. Using the internet resources and historical archives, find instances of the police response to bootlegging activities in N.Y. and Chicago. 

 

8.  How did organized crime prosper especially in Chicago as a result of Prohibition?  (give examples) 

 

9.  How did Al Capone come to the public’s attention in the 1920s?

 

10. Why was Alfred E. Smith, Governor of New York, opposed to Prohibition?  Do you think that Mayor Guiliani or Bloomberg would have the same response?

 

11.  How did Prohibition affect the Presidential campaigns of 1924 and 1928?

 

12.  Why was Prohibition repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment?

 

13.  If you were a man, aged 40, recent immigrant from dear old Ireland, living in New York in the 1920s, Willie Scanlon – would you have agreed or disagreed with Prohibition?  Explain your answer using specific responses. 

 

14.  If you were Willie’s wife, aged 35, another immigrant from Ireland, living in New York at that time with 7 children, would you have agreed or disagreed with Prohibition?  Explain your answer using specific responses. 

 

 

Evaluation

You will be given a rubric for grading purposes  

 

Your written and oral presentation will be based on the following rubric:

 

                             Needs Improvement        Satisfactory Exemplary

Quality of Info       General Info.                   Accurate Info        Info+exam

 

Format                  None                              General                 Perfect

 

Accuracy              Major Errors                   Few errors             Perfect

                                                                                                Grammar

                                                                                                Spelling

 

 

Resources

You will need to use the following search engines and websites to provide research information for your work. 

 

Search engine www.yahoo.com

Search engine:  www.google.com

Search engine: www.askjeeves.com 

http://www.riverwalk.org/proglist/showprom/prohibition.htm

http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol-info/FunFacts/Prohibition

http://organizedcrime.about.com/cs/outsidenewyork/

http://www.4freeessays.com/essays/624.shtml

http://www.americanmafia.com/Allan

http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/nyf/volxixnol.html

http://www.kevinmurphy.com/alsmith.htm

http://www.dogpile.com/index.gsp

 

 

Standards

New York State Social Studies Standard 5

Civics, Citizenship and Government.  Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution, the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation. 

 

New York City English Language Arts Standards

EIC:  Reads and comprehends information materials

E2A:  Produces a report of information

E3B:  Participates in Group meetings

 

 

Picture Credits

http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol-info/FunFacts/Prohibition

http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture17.html

 

 

Conclusion

Upon completion of this project students will be able to assess and evaluate the changes in American culture and values as a result of Prohibition.  Students will also be able to research the topic through use of the websites cited on the internet.