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Background

Background. Many prohibition groups had grown prior to WW1 Broke up families Led to crime Made workers unreliable WW1 brewing of alcohol banned to preserve grain Dec 1917 the 18 th Amendment to the US constitution was passed. Goals of Prohibition. Eliminate drunkenness

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  1. Background Many prohibition groups had grown prior to WW1 Broke up families Led to crime Made workers unreliable WW1 brewing of alcohol banned to preserve grain Dec 1917 the 18th Amendment to the US constitution was passed
  2. Goals of Prohibition Eliminate drunkenness Causing abuse of family Get rid of saloons Prostitution, gambling dens Prevent absenteeism and on-the-job accidents stemming from drunkenness
  3. The 18th Amendment Banned the manufacture, transport and sale of alcohol Came into effect in January 1919 Millions wanted to drink Were prepared to break the law to do so Speakeasy – private clubs that sold illegal alcohol
  4. Bootlegging Those that would manufacture, sell and transport liquor, beer, and wine. Started from drinkers who hid flasks in the leg of their boots
  5. The effects Bootleg alcohol – smuggled in from Mexico and Canada. Many speakeasies were gambling dens Worst places sold moonshine – home made alcohol – dangerous Organised crime had existed before prohibition but grew exponentially because of it. Gangster took over the sale and distribution of alcohol
  6. Speakeasies Bars that operated illegally. To get into a speakeasy – you needed a password or be recognized by a guard. Sometimes hidden behind legit businesses. Speakeasies contributed to the Harlem Renaissance because they enabled people of color to drink and be entertained without racial discrimination
  7. Speakeasies Before Prohibition the whole state of Massachusetts had 1,000 saloons. AFTER Prohibition Boston alone had 4,000 speakeasies and 15,000 bootleggers. Only 5% of New Yorkers obeyed the law. They drank in the White House
  8. Organized Crime Territories expanded and gang warfare erupted over turf and control of the liquor. Tommy Guns Sawed off shotguns Murder on the streets
  9. Organized Crime Expanded into other crimes Gambling Prostitution Murder Incorporated Racketeering Bribe police and other government officials 157 bombs in 1928 Chicago!
  10. Al Capone The most famous and brutal gangsters were in Chicago. Racketeering was EVERYWHERE Chicago and his suburb of Cicero
  11. Alfonse “Scarface” Capone Born in NYC to Sicilian immigrants in 1899. Moved to Chicago in 1919. 200 murders are directly tied to Capone. With Prohibition, he made $100,000,000. Imprisoned for not paying taxes. Died from Syphilis in January 1947
  12. Gang warfare in Chicago Rival gangs fought for control of the city St Valentines Day Massacre 1929 – 7 members of the Bugs Moran gang killed by Al Capone's gang. No one ever arrested – not unusual – 400 gang related killings in Chicago alone People blamed prohibition for the increase in gang violence
  13. Gang War
  14. The results Prohibition gave gangs money and power It made criminals out of millions of ordinary Americans – made a mockery of the law WW1 had made many ordinary men into trained killers The invention of the motor car made getaways easier Money meant that police and judges were easy to bribe – got away with murder
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