How much can you learn from source A about why prohibition was introduced? Use the source and your own knowledge.
Lauren Joselyn
History Coursework
Prohibition
) How much can you learn from source A about why prohibition was introduced? Use the source and your own knowledge.
Overall the source tells us very little about why prohibition was introduced. Source A is a poster issued by the Women's Christian Temperance at an unknown date. We do not know how strong or influential this group were from this source. However, to be able to produce a poster the source tells us that this group must have been quite strong but we do not know where. Source A is a very bias piece of evidence as it was designed to persuade. The poster highlights not just all the possible negatives of alcohol generally but links it to all the negatives of society. Behind at the bar in the poster debauchery, ruin, misery, despair, death, poverty, disgrace, madness, disease and damnation is written. The words are closely linked to sin, immorality and ruin of life. This is a definite strand of opinion it is therefore not very reliable if you wish to find out why prohibition was introduced.
In fact, this temperance movement were strongly against alcohol and was very well supported worldwide but particularly in rural America. It gathered pace in the 1920's during the boom and it slowly integrated into the cities later. Many major industrialists including Nelson Rockefeller believing that their workers would be more reliable if they did not drink supported this organisation as well as others such as the anti-saloon league. The Women's Christian Temperance argued that the extra money that became available during and after the war during which the USA prospered was being squandered in saloons. The Women's Christian Temperance also used stories about children being crushed by drunken fathers. Their arguments were very powerful and were very disturbing. Many politicians backed the campaign hoping to gain votes. Eventually enough states were pro-prohibition that it led to the 18th Amendment to be introduced to the Constitution. This 'prohibited the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors.'
2) Study sources B to J and use your own knowledge. Do sources B to J agree about the way of life in the USA during prohibition?
Sources B to J do not all agree about the way of life in USA during prohibition some have very contrasting views and some are very unreliable.
Source B is an article for m an anti alcohol paper, prohibition had just been introduced. This is a primary source dated 16th January 1920. From this source, it is clear that there were unquestionably a large number of people who were in support of prohibition. The source includes some very powerful vocabulary e.g. "All Liquor Stains Wiped from the Stars and stripes." This is the opening line and ...
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Sources B to J do not all agree about the way of life in USA during prohibition some have very contrasting views and some are very unreliable.
Source B is an article for m an anti alcohol paper, prohibition had just been introduced. This is a primary source dated 16th January 1920. From this source, it is clear that there were unquestionably a large number of people who were in support of prohibition. The source includes some very powerful vocabulary e.g. "All Liquor Stains Wiped from the Stars and stripes." This is the opening line and it is very powerful and passionate. The source having come from the media and it being an anti alcohol paper, it is very likely that the article is heavily exaggerated.
Source C is a photo of alcohol being tipped down the drain, it supports source B as it is pro-prohibition. This photo is a primary source so it could be seen as a reliable piece of evidence because it can't be changed over time. However, we do not know if these scenes were occurring all over the country, it is not very representative. From this source you can believe that prohibition was welcomed and respected, but it is just the one person throwing away the alcohol, the spectators and perhaps even the rest of the country may disagree with him.
Source D is from a history textbook written by Ben Walsh in 19996. This is a very reliable piece of evidence even though it is secondary piece of evidence. This source has gone through a peer review, as it is written by a (well respected) historian, so all the information provided will be accurate and not bias. In this source it tells us that prohibition did work but only in limited ways in rural states, this is not too surprising as this is where the anti saloon league and the Women's Christian Temperance were at their strongest. However in cites it soon became clear that prohibition was not working as it says in the extract. Many people still drank "moonshine" from illegal homemade stills that made more US citizens criminals. This contradicts the last line in source B. "The state will have less crime to prosecute. There will be an increased respect for the law." Since source D is much more reliable than B you can conclude that this describes USA during prohibition better. However, this source is very generalised, we do not know how different life was for people living in the rural areas against those living in the cities.
Source F is a table showing arrests for drinking offences in Philadelphia between 1920 and 1925.This is very reliable evidence, as it cannot be altered over time nor can it be bias, it is purely factual. Although the figures dramatically rise between 1921 and 1922 we do not have a comparison before prohibition was introduced. Did prohibition increase the number of arrests? We therefore do not know how much prohibition changed the life of people when prohibition was introduced. We also do not know if this example was typical of that of many cities in the USA.
Source G is from a speech by Alec Wilder, a New York composer in the 1950's. This speech heavily contradicts with source B about the life of people in the 1920's. Although the sources do have similarities, they are both very biased and they both present a definite strand of opinion. Wilder says that a speakeasy was like belonging to a special society, alcohol then had a special allure. He seems to have no regrets from breaking the law. Again this is only one persons experience and may not be felt throughout the country. This source also tells us that there was a risk in drinking illegal alcohol by e.g. poisoning.
Sources B to J do not all agree about the way of life in the USA during prohibition. Whilst sources B and C are optimistic about the impact of prohibition, sources D to J in varying ways shows the failures of the policy.
3) Study sources B to K and use your own knowledge. How useful are these sources in helping you to understand why prohibition was abolished after fourteen years.
There are many reasons for why prohibition was abolished after fourteen years. From the moment prohibition was introduced it lacked support in urban states. The various movements that campaigned for prohibition were more successful in rural states. Prohibition was never introduced in the urban state of Maryland. In the cities the law enforcement agencies often broke the 18th Amendment themselves. The authorities discovered it was one thing to introduce a new law that would effect many people, and it was quite another to enforce it effectively. A law that is not enforced effectively will be broken. Many American citizens therefore became criminals, perhaps unnecessarily. Some people set up their own stills to illegally to produce 'moonshine'. Speakeasies also appeared in nearly every town and city. Police were known to point you to the nearest speakeasy. Any arrests in connection with prohibition could easily be swayed with a bribe. Another major factor for why prohibition was abolished was that the huge demand for alcohol opened a market for gangsters. These gangs fought to supply the speakeasies which led to bloody gang wars such as the St Valentines Day massacre (source J).
Sources D, G, H, I and K are very reliable sources which support the reasons why prohibition was abolished. Source D would have gone through a peer review so all the information provided would be trustworthy. This source tells us that prohibition in rural states did work, in limited ways. However, in the cities it was clear that prohibition didn't work as it turned many US citizens in to law breakers. This is a possibly a major factor for why prohibition was abolished.
Source G gives us the opinionated view of Alec Wilder so it is biased. This source tells us that he drank illegal alcohol despite the risk that could be poisonous. To help answer to the question this source can be used to tell us that drinking in cities was common (behind closed doors) and poisonous alcoholic drinks were rife.
Source H and I tells us a reason why prohibition was abolished. The sources are about Al Capone. Al Capone was a powerful leading gangster in Chicago. He was linked to many murders and gang wars in connection to the dispensation of liquor. These sources tell us that there was huge demand for liquor led to violence in the black market. This could not be tolerated; this industry was becoming too dangerous and powerful.
Source K is source that almost summarises why prohibition was abolished. In just a few lines it tells us that very few people faced serious charges over alcohol related incidents. This could be due to many reasons such as lack of law enforcement and bribes. It is shocking to see that only five people out of five hundred and fourteen were ever held for trial after raids at illegal drinking bars. This source tells us that society and law enforcement agencies did not respect the law, as there was little to fear if you were caught. Prohibition was clearly not working.
The other sources are only of limited use, these are sources E, F and J. Source E is unreliable because it is opinionated, biased and we do not know if the figures used are correct. Source F is limited to Philadelphia. We do not know if it was the same situation throughout the USA and we do not have a comparison to the years before prohibition. We do not know if the figures used are typical. The source also tells us little about why prohibition was abolished, just the number of drinking offences during prohibition. Source J is just a photo, it does not tell us who the dead people are, the reason why they were killed or what connection it has with the abolition of prohibition. However, it does tell us the severity of the black market for liquor.
Sources B and C are not useful in answering the question because they show all the optimistic hopes for prohibition as it was being introduced. The sources tell us why prohibition would make the USA a better country and why it should be introduced, not why it should be abolished.
There are many reasons why prohibition was abolished. The major factors seem to be; the lack of law enforcement, the huge demand for alcohol which led the way for gangsters and the embarrassment of having a country with so many law breakers in its cities. America could not be a 'dry' country if these elements existed
