Prohibition in the United States - source related study.

Bethany Peck 17th November 2002

Prohibition Coursework

Evaluation of source for its utility

How useful is Source A as evidence for studying the Spread of Prohibition in the United States?

To some extent Source A is very useful when studying the spread of prohibition through America. It does show us the spread of prohibition through the eastern states and manages to put each of them into one of three categories. However the source is not detailed enough to give us all the information we need to study and understand the spread of prohibition through the states.

Firstly, the key does not inform us what the white gaps are, they are all different states yet we are not told which ones they are, or the state of prohibition in these places. We can only assume there was no data available for these places, or there was simply no prohibition in these places. This means not only are there many gaps in the eastern side of the country, there is no information from the west. Because it is so unclear we cannot fully examine the spread of prohibition through the United States of America, as we do not have information from all of the states.

The key is also unclear. Two of the three categories show the state of the prohibition spread in 1845, while the third category shows the state in 1915. This means that there is no clear picture of how prohibition spread over the 70-year period. There is no indication as to which states implemented prohibition first. One can only deduce all of the 18 states shown implemented it over the 70-year period. There is no chronology of the dates. The source is meant to show the spread from 1845 – 1933, but it does not do this in a satisfactory way as the 18 years from 1915 – 1933 are missed out.

Another thing that is unclear on the key is one of the three categories. It reads States with local prohibition in 1845, but this statement is not precise enough. It doesn’t tell us which parts of the states in the category adhere to these local laws. So some places may not have had prohibition while some did. It doesn’t inform us of the extent of prohibition in each state.

Because of all these points, when looking at Source A though we do acquire some information, we do not get the full, clear picture on the Spread of Prohibition ...

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Because of all these points, when looking at Source A though we do acquire some information, we do not get the full, clear picture on the Spread of Prohibition through the United States from 1845 – 1933.

Evaluation of sources for their reliability

Which one of Source D and E is more reliable source for investigating the nature of a speakeasy raid?

When first looking at the two sources, people may think Source D is more reliable because it is a photograph, and therefore a seemingly objective presentation of reality. When investigating further it is evident that Source D is not actually very reliable at all. Though it is a photo, it does not show us enough of the nature of the actual speakeasy raid, as this photo has been taken after the raid itself. It gives you a good idea of what a speakeasy bar was like with lots of drink and it is noticeable that the men were armed, but it is a posed picture and this raises the possibility of it being fake or unreliable. The photo gives you no idea of what the speakeasy raids themselves were like. It only shows us what was confiscated in the raid. Because this is a photo taken in 1920 it is more reliable than Source E, a drawing dating from 1964, yet as demonstrated photos can lie and this picture doesn’t give us a view on a speakeasy raid. It could quite easily be a propaganda photograph to support the government’s position on prohibition.

Source E is a drawn interpretation of a speakeasy raid. It was drawn long after the speakeasy bars existed so this does make the picture a less reliable source. Though this picture shows us the violent nature of the raids, it is a drawn picture so it is obvious the artist (who was British) was not actually at any of the raids. The drawing shows barrels and crates of drink that have been upturned and others which are about to be smashed. It also shows bottles being smashed against the wall. The raid is being carried out by men and it looks as if it’s night time. However the artist could only have interpreted the raids using someone else’s evidence and was drawn for use in schools. Like the photo Source E is also unreliable, even though it shows the nature of the raids much more than Source D does.

When investigating the nature of a speakeasy raid, it would be better to look at Source E as it is the only source of the two, which actually shows the nature of a raid. As these sources are both unreliable it would be best to look at a more reliable source altogether.

Evaluation of an interpretation

“Prohibition failed to meet its aims” Do you agree with this statement?

I agree with the statement “Prohibition failed to meet its aims.” On the 16th of January 1920, a law of Prohibition was passed that banned the making, transporting and selling of alcohol. America was to be a ‘dry’ country. The aim was to make America a safer country to live in. But even though this law was implemented the drinking didn’t stop. An illegal liquor trade began.

Once the Prohibition law was passed, drinking rapidly increased. People known as “bootleggers” began to smuggle illegal liquor into America and very quickly illegal bars were opened in most towns and cities in the United Cities. They were called “speakeasies,” because customers were told to speak quietly so that they were not discovered. Once the speakeasies were established, even though America was meant to be a ‘dry’ country people began to drink even more. Before Prohibition there were approximately 15,000 legal saloons in New York, 12 years after the law was passed in 1932 there were about 32,000 speakeasies in the city.

Source C presents police data, which supports this. The number of drunks in Philadelphia increased in 1920 from a figure of 14,313 to one of 21,850 only a year later. Disorderly Conduct rose and fell over the years, up to high of 8,076 in 1923 while it was 6,097 in 1920. The amount of Drunk drivers rose steadily from 0 in 1920 to 820 in 1925, though this could be as a result of more cars on the road. And the amount of alcoholics rose from a small 33 in 1920 to 814 in 1925. By 1925 the drinking had increased so much that 58,517 people were arrested that year for drinking offences, nearly forty thousand more offences than those committed when the Prohibition Law was passed in 1920.

With the illegal selling of liquor in the United States, gangsters began to flourish in the country. Many gangsters had opened speakeasies all over America. Dion O’Banion for example was a big part of the liquor sales. With the gangsters now rich from bootlegging, they began to control the cities. John Torrio and Al Capone for example, took control of Cicero – a wealthy suburb in Chicago. They took control of the local Council by putting their candidates up for election, and bribed officials such as The Mayor of Chicago - Bill Thompson to get their own way. With Gangsters all over America, deaths – caused by gang warfare became common. Between 1927 and 1931 there were 227 gang murders in Chicago yet nobody was ever convicted.

Bribery and corruption were common. Source F shows a drawing entitled ‘The National Gesture’ of many officials – politicians, police officers, magistrates and even prohibition agents with their hands behind their backs. This is to show that bribery was common by bootleggers so they would be able to sell liquor in the speakeasies. The Mayor of Chicago as I said above was one of the politicians being bribed.

Prohibition was implemented in 1920 to make America a safer place, with beliefs that it would result in less deaths. People all over the country began to drink more, resulting in more deaths from drinking and more drunkards arrested. Gangsters flourished because of selling drink in speakeasies and there were many gang fights. To get their own way they used bribery a lot. The aim of Prohibition was to make America a safer place but it only became more dangerous.