PROHIBITION/GANGSTERS

Philip Destito

JFK Middle School

Utica, New York

 

Officers Disposing of Confiscated Illegal Alcohol---Down the Drain!

Prohibition Sweeps the State

 

 

Introduction:

With the passing of the 18th Amendment in 1919, the manufacturing, sale, and transportation of alcohol became illegal. Where some saw as an ending, other saw as an opportunity.

 

 

Task:

You are a veteran of the World War I. You have been home for a year and a half and have not been able to find or keep a steady job. A friend of yours asks for a favor from you. He wants you deliver two bottles of whiskey to a mutual acquaintance. He says its easy money, and no need to worry about the law, everybody is doing it. What are you going to do?

 

File:Detroit police prohibition.jpg

 

 

Process/Resources:

You will complete a graphic organizer worksheet on the positives and negatives of becoming a gangster.

 

 

You will write a position paper in which you will argue three (3) reasons for becoming a gangster, and three (3) reasons for not becoming a gangster. Based on the information you have located and presented, you will take a position. State the position you have chosen, and what brought you to that decision.

 

·       Organized Crime and Prohibition

·       PBS Prohibition

·       Prohibition Pictures : Look at pictures-1, 3, 10, 11, 14

·       Gangsters

·       HISTORY Prohibition : Watch the Videos: The Many Moods of Al Capone, Al   Capone’s Hangout, Bourbon and Moonshiners

·        St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: Watch the Video- St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

 

 

Evaluation:

Rating

Notes and Comments

1. Graphic Organizer: [10] (Information clearly presented and easy to follow, Both sides represented.)

Score_______________

 

2. English [30] (Paper well proofed, spelling, proper sentence structure; information logical, concise and integrated.)

Score______________

 

3. Content: [40] (Problem well defined; most probable causes justified, course of action, results of decisions.)

Score______________

 

4. Creativity: [20] (Non Fiction and Fictional items used jointly, characters and issues created, problems faced and solved.)

 

 Score_____________

 

 

 

Conclusion:

Due to the country’s change in policy, have you become part of their solution, or have you become one of their many problems?  Did you make your decision willingly, or did you get caught up in the moment? How has your decision affected your life and the lives of those around you? Prohibition may have begun with noble intentions, but it ended with many slained for poor reasons.

 

Standards:

 

Standard 1, Key Idea 2

Key Idea 2: Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events across time and from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 1, Key Idea 3

Key Idea 3: Study about the major social, political, economic, cultural, and religious developments in New York State and United States history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.

Standard 1, Key Idea 4

Key Idea 4: The skills of historical analysis include the ability to: explain the significance of historical evidence; weigh the importance, reliability, and validity of evidence; understand the concept of multiple causation; understand the importance of changing and competing interpretations of different historical developments.