1. Prohibition
Wets vs. Drys

2. Origins
Although the Temperance movement had been around for decades, it gained increased traction during WWI.
Rationing of grains (corn, wheat, barley) used to make alcohol
A “Women’s Issue”
Increased prominence of women in society

3. The Ban takes effect 18th Amendment Volstead Act
Passed by Congress 1917
Ratified by states 1919
Volstead Act
Set up the specific rules of Prohibition
Gave law enforcement tools to enforce 18 Amendment

4. Wets Vs. Drys A cultural issue, not just a legal one Election of 1928
Alcohol strongly associated with Catholicism, urbanism, and modernism
Election of 1928
Hoover vs. Smith
Dry vs. Wet
Protestant vs. Catholic
Political Cartoons

5. Rise of the Bootleggers

6. Flouting the law Bootleggers Al Capone Small time vs. Organized Crime
Al Capone
One of the most famous bootlegging (and other organized crime) leaders
“I make my money from supplying a public demand. If I break the law, my customers, who number hundreds of the best people in Chicago, are as guilty as I am. The only difference between us is that I sell and they buy. Everybody calls me a racketeer. I call myself a businessman.”
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
Convicted of Tax Evasion, sent to Alcatraz

7. St. Valentine’s day massacre
Outside the warehouse on North Clark Street where the shooting took place.