Volstead Act Answer Sheet

PROHIBITION IN THE UNITED STATES

1) What was the other name for National Prohibition ?

The Noble Experiment

2) Which year did it start ? 1919 With which amendment to the Constitution ? The 18th Amendment

Write the 3 things which were forbidden during the Prohibition :

the transportation, sale and production of liquor were banned.

ALCOHOL IN AMERICA

Find the English words for :

Ivresse = drunkenness

Sobre = sober

Ivrogne = a drunkard

excès de boisson = binge drinking

Alcohol was used as a medicine : it replaced anesthesia (it made people sleep, or at least they did not feel pain any more) and it was also used to prevent infection. Finally, the soldiers were given some before a battle because it made them more courageous !

THE ORIGINS OF PROHIBITION

What are the 2 organizations which greatly helped the cause of Prohibition ?

The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the Anti-Saloon League.

Religion also played an important role. How did churchmen nickname alcohol ?

Demon rum and Lucifer Liquids.

PROHIBITIONS LAWS

Was alcohol prohibited in certain states before 1920 ?  yes

What was a dry state ? What was a wet state ?

A dry state was a state which prohibited alcohol whereas a wet state was a state in which alcohol was legal.

What was the major difference between the 18th Amendment (January 1919) and the Volstead Act (October 1919) ?

The 18th Amendment prohibited all hard liquor with over 40 % alcohol content whereas the Volstead Act banned all alcohol that had more than 0,5 % alcohol content, which effectively banned all forms of alcoholic beverages.

CORRUPTION

What was a bootlegger ?

A person who illegally made or imported alcohol.

Why was the police so easy to bribe (= corrupt) ?

Because the policemen were low-paid.

What did politicians accept to do in exchange for large sums of money ?

They accepted to protect a gang or a bootlegger.

CRIME

What do these figures correspond to ?

78 % = the increase of homicides over pre-prohibition America

41 % = the increase of arrests on account of drunkenness

81 % = the increase of arrests for drunken driving

561 % = the increase of federal convicts

2/3 = 2/3 of all prisoners in 1930 were convicted on alcohol and drug charges

What is this man’s name ? Alphonse, or Al Capone

What was his nickname ?

Scarface

Who was he ? He was a powerful Chicago gangster who owned almost half of the town’s speakeasies.

One day, he ordered the brutal murder of some of his enemies. What is that day called ?

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

On which charge was he arrested and imprisoned ?

He was arrested and convicted of income tax evasion.

Which famous prison did he go to ?

Alcatraz

Apart from crime, what other harmful effects did Prohibition have ?

Immorality (prostitution and drugs)

- An increase in government expenses

- Diseases due to the consumption of alcohol (which was real poison in some cases)

- Loss of jobs : many people lost their jobs overnight when Prohibition came into effect.

HOW PEOPLE GOT LIQUOR

What was a speakeasy ?

It was a bar that remained open during Prohibition and where alcohol was sold at low prices.

Was it legal ? No Who owned speakeasies ? Gangs or mobs.

Was it easy to enter ? Why ?

It was not easy to enter because there were codes, passwords and secret handshakes.

Find the words for : maison close = brothel – le jeu (jeux d’argent) = gambling – discothèque = nightclub

How could people get liquor legally ?

Thanks to their doctor’s prescriptions.

REPEAL OF PROHIBITION

Which year did Prohibition end ?

1933 with the 21st Amendment to the Constitution

Who was President then ?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Did it mean that all states were obliged to abandon Prohibition ?

No, it didn’t. For example, Missouri ended state prohibition only in 1966, almost 35 years after National Prohibition was repealed.

THE ROARING TWENTIES (this is the name given to the 1920s in the U.S.)

What did they begin with ?

They began with the return of young soldiers from the fronts of World War I and a progress in the conditions of women

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