ProhibitionProhibitionAmerica’s first battle with substance abuseAmerica’s first battle with substance abuse

OverviewOverviewIn the following lesson, you will examine:

• The historical background of prohibition• The problems of prohibition• The end of prohibition

BackgroundBackground• Prior to the Great War, the

“Temperance Movement” was a growing social force

• Resource pressures of the Great War limited the use of grain for alcohol production

• On Dec 16, 1919, the 18th Amendment to the US constitution, “banned the manufacture, sale or transport of intoxicating liquors”

Success or FailureFailure?• The federal

government provided little support

• Local officials inconsistently

enforced the law• Bootlegging from

Canada made gangsters rich

• “Moonshine” was produced by illegal

distilleries

The End of the 18th Amendment

• Although President Hoover insisted on maintaining the law, President Roosevelt supported its repeal

• On Dec 5, 1933 Congress voted to end the American experiment in controlling alcohol abuse

Summary Questions• Which social groups supported the

temperance movement and why? • What was the meaning of prohibition?• Why was prohibition a greater failure than

success?