1. Changing Ways of Life
Chapter 13-1

2. Rural & Urban Differences
Between 1922 & 1929 more than 2 million people would leave their rural communities for the city
The charm & close personal relationships would give way to the culture & fast pace of city life

3. The New Urban Scene
City life was much different than that of the country side
Life was booming, fast paced, & industrially based
The population make up was a melting pot of cultures, religions, & languages
During the day an estimated 300,000 workers crowed the streets, 150,000 cars rushed down the highway, & 20,000 trolley’s rushed people to their destination
At night the city was just as alive as people crowed the theaters, restaurants, playhouses
The adjustment for many would not be easy as they traded their small town values, close ties, & strict morals for the big city world of anonymous crowds, money makers, & pleasure seekers

4. The Prohibition Experiment
One example of a clash in values was over the issue of Prohibition or the ban on the sale, manufacture, or consumption of alcohol
The 18th Amendment would ignite this conflict
Reformers viewed alcohol as a source of corruption as it led to drunkenness, wife & child abuse, accidents, as well as other social evils
Support for the legislation came largely from the Protestant community in the South & West
Organizations such as the Anti-Saloon league & the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) also helped push the Amendment through
At first saloons closed their doors but after WWI people were tired of making sacrifices & wanted to have fun
Immigrants did not view drink as a sin, but rather a natural part of socializing & they resented the governments interference in their lives

5. The Prohibition Experiment
The fate of Prohibition would be determined by the government as they would be unable to enforce the law
The Volstead Act was passed with the intention of giving enforcement powers to local officials as well as creating the Prohibition Bureau within the Treasury department
The department was grossly understaffed & ill trained with 1,500 officers
The bureau had the responsibility of patrolling 18,700 miles of coastline, as well as inland boarders, tracking down illegal stills, monitoring highways for illegal contraband, & monitoring those industries that used alcohol for manufacturing purposes
It was an impossible task

6. Speakeasies & Bootleggers
To satisfy their desire for alcohol many went underground to hidden saloons or nightclubs called speakeasies
These illegal saloons were so called because you would speak easy so not to draw attention
To gain entrance you had to show a card or know the proper password
Once inside you would find men & women from all walks of life
Still others would learn to brew their own alcohol from home stills
These folks were called bootleggers, named for those who would smuggle liquor in their boots

7. Organized Crime
Prohibition not only generated disrespect for the law but also contributed to the growth of organized crime in nearly every major city
One of the most famous was Al Capone of Chicago
Capone would take control of the Chicago liquor business by killing off his competition

8. Organized Crime
By the mid 1920’s only 19% of Americans supported Prohibition
Many believed that the “experiment” caused more issues than the initial problem while others believed that it strengthened moral values
The 18th Amendment would remain in force until it was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933

9. Prohibition: Cause & Effect

10. American Fundamentalism
Another controversy that stuck society was that of religion & their fundamentalist thinkers versus science & their discoveries
The fundamentalists were Protestants who believed in literal or no symbolic interpretation of the bible
Once such theory that was highly contested was the idea of evolution
Fundamentalist were appalled at the idea that humans had developed from apes after all the bible states that humans were created by God
Fundamentalist preachers such as Billy Sunday & Aimee McPherson preached against evolution across the country
The issue would come to a head in 1925 with the Scopes trial

11. The Scopes Trial
In 1925 Tennessee passed the first state law that made teaching evolution illegal
John Scopes a biology teacher would challenge the law by teaching evolution in his classroom
Scopes was arrested & sent to trial
Scopes was defended by famed attorney Clarence Darrow
The state was represented by William Jennings Bryan
Clarence Darrow & William Jennings Bryan

12. The Scopes Trial
The trial was not about guilt or innocence but rather the role of science & religion in public schools as well as American society
During the trial Darrow would called Bryn an expert on the bible grilling him on religious beliefs until Bryan admitted the bible might be interpreted in different ways
In the end Scopes was found guilty & fined $100, but was later overturned, & the law remained in tact