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Temperance and Prohibition

From 1919 to 1933, it was illegal to make, sell or transport alcoholic beverages within the Unites States. This period is referred to as Prohibition and was ushered into law with the 18th Amendment, created by passage of the Volstead Act by Congress. Prohibition didn’t happen overnight – organizations such as the Prohibition Party, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League had been strong public advocates for a ban on alcohol since the prior century. Their cause gained traction during WWI with the rationale that grain used for alcohol could be used to feed the troops instead.

While there is evidence to support that the rate of drinking declined during Prohibition, the new law had many unintended consequences, such as the rise of bootlegging operations, the expansion of organized crime and large expenditures by the federal government to combat illegal activity related to alcohol. Public support for a ban on alcohol declined and in 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition.

In this mini unit, review a presentation about the road to Prohibition, learn why Prohibition gained political support, read stories and song lyrics used by the Anti-Saloon League to persuade the public, study the original text of the Volstead Act, look at a timeline of events leading to Prohibition, see cartoons and other images from a popular magazine and complete lesson plan activities on temperance in the nineteenth century.

Reading

The Road to Prohibition

Why Prohibition?

Timeline/Map

Prohibition Timeline

Multimedia

Prohibition Time-Life Gallery

Activities

Temperance in the 19th Century Lesson Plan

Primary Sources

Songs and Stories from the Anti-Saloon League

The Volstead Act

Recommended Resource

Black Duck

David, a 14-year-old aspiring journalist, suspects that his elderly neighbor, Ruben, has a story to tell about Prohibition in their Rhode Island town, and he wonders "how to pry it out of the geezer." Surprisingly, Ruben opens up, and his chapter-length recollections of "rumrunners and highjackers, fast boats and dark nights," form the bulk of this gripping, layered mystery. The ethical questions will also fascinate teens: Were the locals less guilty than the big-city crime bosses? How do you piece together a story when "there's no way of getting back there for a clear view"?

Author: : Janet Taylor Lisle
Hardcover
Amazon Price: $4.95

Read more about and purchase the book: Here