1973. Source B is from is also from an American history book, it was
Published in 1979. Source A does not come to a conclusion on what
Caused prohibition to come into place, Source B on the other hand,
Quite blatantly blames the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and
The Anti-Saloon League. Source A and B both agree that a criminal
Boom occurred because of the prohibition of alcohol but source B
Does not place as much emphasis on the crime side of prohibition, it
Does not go into the specifics of the crime waves and tries to
‘Live’ it down.
Question b)
The artists of sources C and D were probably both in favour of
Prohibition. Source C shows a man handing over all of his salary for
A drink; it also has a small frame within it showing a lady and a
Child living in bad conditions because the man in the picture has
Spent all the money on alcohol). Source D shows 2 children in tatty
Clothing outside a saloon. The pictures caption reads ‘Daddy’s in
There…’ ‘And our shoes and stockings and food are in the saloon too,
And they’ll never come out.’
The artists of C and D were trying to show the public that alcohol
Corrupted society and affected the livelihood of women and children
(Who at the time were given the stereotype of being inferior to men?
And useless, they could not fend for themselves, it was the mans
Duty to do that).
Question c)
Source E is an extract from a letter written by a wealthy
Industrialist in 1932, source F is a quote from a prohibition
Officer speaking in 1920. Source E is probably more reliable than
Source F. Because source F was written was written before
Prohibition was introduced it could not have an entirely open view
Of what would happen. The writer of source E however would have seen
The effects of prohibition. Both sources show evidence of optimism
That prohibition would have worked. Source F is biased towards
Prohibition; the writer of source E is in favour of prohibition but
Can see that it didn’t work.
Question d)
Sources G and H are statistics showing the amount of alcohol seized
By prohibition officers over the years and the amount of alcohol
Related crimes reported by the Philadelphia Police Department. The
Figures could show that prohibition was successful or they could
Show that prohibition was unsuccessful. This depends on how they are
Interpreted.
Source G shows that the amount of alcohol seized by prohibition
Officers in 1929 was almost 30 times the amount of alcohol seized in
1921. You could argue that the prohibition officers were getting
Better at there job and catching more criminals or you could say
That there were thousands more criminals and there was much more
Alcohol in 1929. The latter scenario is more likely.
Source H shows that over 35000 more people were arrested for being
Drunk in 1925 than in 1920. The statistics also show a conflicting
View. There were less people charged with being drunk and disorderly
In 1925 than in 1920 but this could be interpreted differently. It
Is possible that more police officers were being bribed and letting
Violators of the law free. Source H shows that more people were
Caught drink driving in 1925 than in 1920 but there were 26 million
Cars on the road in 1925 compared to 9 million in 1920.
Question e)
Source J is an account of a Chicago policeman. He said he had
Received money from a man possibly for ‘turning the other cheek’ and
Not arresting someone on prohibition charges. He said he felt his
Superior offices were involved with bootlegging of alcohol. Source I
Supports this account, it shows a line of prohibition officers,
Politicians and various other officials with there backs turned and
Their hands open behind them. The picture is captioned ‘The National
Gesture’. The cartoon is trying to say that many officials in the US
Are taking bribes to have there backs turned against violations of
The prohibition laws.
Question f)
The sources do not all show that prohibition was inevitable. Source
An underlines the factors which caused prohibition to come about in
The first place, it does not suggest that the failure of prohibition
Was bound to happen. It puts forward a view which suggests that
People were optimistic that prohibition would work before it
Started. It confirms the criminal boom caused by the prohibition of
Alcohol but does not give any reasons as to why this may have
Happened and does not cast any doubt over the notion the prohibition
Was bound to fail.
Source B has a similar view to source A, it does not suggest
Prohibition was bound to fail before it started; but it does touch
On the public demand for alcohol, it includes an Al Capone quote,
‘All I do is supply a public demand’.
Source C and D show alcohol as a bad thing and do not clearly give a
View which suggests prohibition was bound to fail; but if the
Scenario depicted in the posters was one that was real at the time
(That men would risk the lives of their families for alcohol) then
It could support the view that prohibition was bound to fail. If a
Man was willing to lose his money, family and children for a drink;
Then why wouldn’t he break the law for one?
Source E (like source A) shows optimism that prohibition would work;
It says that the citizens of the USA had become law breakers. This
Suggests that many people were opposed to prohibition and supports
The view that prohibition was bound to fail.
Source F is a quote from a prohibition officer; this view is biased
But shows determination and belief in prohibition.
Sources G and H are statistics taken after prohibition was
Introduced, the figures show the persistence of offenders and
Generally support the view that prohibition was bound to fail. If
The figures were interpreted differently, and then it could show that
The prohibition officers were cracking down on offenders but we know
That this is not true.
Source I agrees with the view that prohibition was bound to fail, it
Shows the people who introduced the system and the people enforcing
The system taking bribes.
Source J also agrees with the view that prohibition would fail, the
Policeman himself had probably taken bribes, but this is not
Something he would have admitted to at the time of the statement for
The sake of his own credibility as a policeman.
