Prohibition

1. How did small-town life and city life differ?   
Small town life and city life were very different. In the 1920's, the city was "the place to be". People were leaving farms and towns to move to the city. Small towns had lots of close friendships and you knew the people around you and the people had conservative moral values. The city had a lot of competition and change, and people were judged by accomplishments, not background. They also tolerated behaviors that weren't tolerated in small town life (drinking, gambling).


2. Why do you think the Eighteenth Amendment failed to eliminate alcohol consumption?   
The Eighteenth Amendment failed to eliminate alcohol consumption for several reasons. A main reason was that people honestly didn't believe in the Amendment- only a tiny 19% supported it. Also, it was too easy to get to alcohol- people made it themselves, went to speakeasies, bought from bootleggers, and more. Lastly, the government wasn't really able to enforce the law. Only 1,500 federal agents and police were in charge of it and there was no way that they could do it.   


3. How did criminals take advantage of Prohibition?   
Prohibition created general disrespect for the law, due to many people not supporting it. It also contributed to organized crime. Gangsters had bootlegging empires (Al Capone killed his competition). Al Capone's empire was worth $60 million per year.


4. What was the conflict between fundamentalists and those who accepted evolution?   
Fundamentalists  were skeptical of scientific knowledge. They believed in the Bible and felt that God created everything. People who accepted evolution believed in the scientific evidence that was found and the work done by scientists and felt that that was the truth- humans evolving- as opposed to the fundamentalists who believed God made the world and everything in it, including humans, in 6 days. 


5. How might the overall atmosphere of the 1920s have contributed to the failure of Prohibition?    
The overall atmosphere of the 1920's contributed to the failure of Prohibition. People had just gotten out of the war, so they were kind of stressed and wanted to celebrate- alcohol is good for both of those things. Also, people had to cut back and make sacrifices during the war. Now that the war has ended, people don't want to cut back anymore, but the Prohibition is making them cut back. With the increase in city life, people were being more social and trying new things, so alcohol was something that went with socializing and trying new things.