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Class Date: November 6th
Location: Your couch! See your weekly e-mail for Zoom link!
Drinking Games
Drinking Games
This week, we’re talking about Prohibition! While we tend to glorify the speakeasies and flappers, Prohibition was a difficult time for many. We’ll talk all about how the nation got there and why they ended it. But before we do that, let’s take a look at the timeline!
1840 - The Absolute Shall
Widely considered to be the precursor to Alcoholics Anonymous, the Washingtonian’s society of reformed drunkards gathered in Baltimore, Maryland. The group met in a tavern and shared their stories with each other to help them avoid drinking.
1851 - Maine prohibits alcohol
Maine became the first state to prohibit the manufacture and sale of liquor. It didn’t hold up well over time and was repealed in 1856. You can read more about this law here: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2016/06/02/maine-alcohol-history/
1873 - Woman’s Crusade
Women came out in force against alcohol, as they were often the victims of violence from husbands and fathers who drank to excess. The crusade lasted until 1874 and was a series of non-violent protests against saloons, including praying outside of saloons, singing, and marching.
1880 - Panama Canal construction begins
The French began constructing a canal through the country of Panama to facilitate faster travel to the western coast of the United States and beyond. The plan would eventually fail and 24 years later, President Theodore Roosevelt would oversee the buyout and building of a new canal.
1883 - The Brooklyn Bridge opens
Officially opening on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was a marvel of the day. Sightseers rushed to the bridge to stroll hundreds of feet above the East River and take in the views of New York from the highest vantage point at the time. But less than a week after the bridge opening, tragedy struck in the form of a panicked stampede that ultimately killed 12 people and injured hundreds more. To read about the disaster, click here: https://www.thoughtco.com/brooklyn-bridge-disaster-1773696
1883 - The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act passed
This act overhauled federal civil service and established the U.S. Civil Service agency. This act was an important step in changing federal employment from being based on political party affiliation and quid pro quo to being a merit based system with more job stability for those working for the government.
1888 - George Eastman markets the Kodak camera
George Eastman has been working on the art of photography for much of his life, attempting to make the process simpler and more accessible for people. He trademarked the name ‘Kodak’ in 1888 and began selling a camera with paper film. Eastman created the first amateur photographers, revolutionizing the world and the way we capture memories. For a 2 ½ minute look at Eastman and his creation, check out this video here:
1889 - Oklahoma Land rush
President Benjamin Harrison opened up Oklahoma land to white settlement beginning in April. Previously, Oklahoma had been “Indian Territory” and the site of many reservations. As settlers pushed westward, they clamored for more land to be made available to them. The lands were opened at a certain time and hopeful homesteaders ran to stake their claim on 160 acre parcels of land. More than 50,000 people waited at the starting line of the race.
December 29, 1890 - Wounded Knee Massacre
Despite the Ft. Laramie Treaty years before that promised peace between Native Nations and the United States, the U.S. Calvary fired on scores of gathered Lakota people at Wounded Knee. The massacre effectively ended organized resistance to U.S. encroachment on Native Lands and showed other Native Nations that treaties with the United States were not reliable.
For a 3 minute overview of the massacre, watch a video here
1892 - Muir establishes the Sierra Club
After successfully campaigning for the protection of Yosemite, John Muir turned his focus to protecting more natural spaces from the fast pace of industrialization and expansion. He established the Sierra Club to advocate for natural spaces. However, Muir’s advocacy for preservation wasn’t necessarily for all to enjoy. Very much a product of his time, Muir saw many, including indigenous peoples and African Americans, as not worthy of having access to natural spaces or their ancestral homelands. To read about how the Sierra Club is grappling with the racist origins of some of its work, check out this Smithsonian article here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sierra-club-grapples-founder-john-muirs-racism-180975404/
1897 - The first subway
The first underground public transportation in North America opens in Boston, Massachusetts. To read more about it, click here: https://historyofmassachusetts.org/boston-first-subway-america/
1920 - 19th Amendment is passed
The 19th Amendment granted all female citizens the right to vote in U.S. elections. That same year, the League of Women Voters was formed as a grand ‘experiment’ to help women be informed voters.
That is where our timeline leaves us for the week! Tune in to learn more about the time period and the people in it!
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
For kids:
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal
Best for kids 12 and up!
It began with the best of intentions. Worried about the effects of alcohol on American families, mothers and civic leaders started a movement to outlaw drinking in public places.
Over time, their protests, petitions, and activism paid off―when a Constitutional Amendment banning the sale and consumption of alcohol was ratified, it was hailed as the end of public drunkenness, alcoholism, and a host of other social ills related to booze. Instead, it began a decade of lawlessness, when children smuggled (and drank) illegal alcohol, the most upright citizens casually broke the law, and a host of notorious gangsters entered the public eye.
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition is fast-paced non-fiction perfect for anyone who's interested in American history, particularly the 1920s, gangsters, bootleggers, the history of alcohol in the US, the Eighteenth Amendment and the Constitution, and American politics.
History for Kid: Prohibition, the Dry Decade by Logan Marlowe
In the heart of American history lies the tale of Prohibition, a bold experiment that changed the nation forever. This short story invites young readers to explore the era when the production, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages were banned. Imagine a time when speakeasies thrived, and gangsters like Al Capone ruled the streets, all while ordinary citizens sought ways to enjoy a forbidden drink.
As the narrative unfolds, children will discover how this significant moment in history was not just about alcohol but also about the clash of ideals, the struggle for personal freedom, and the government's response to social issues. Through engaging storytelling, readers will learn about the challenges faced by the nation and the unexpected consequences that arose from such a drastic decision.
The book also delves into President Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to the Great Depression, illustrating how he turned the tide by repealing Prohibition. Young readers will see how his leadership brought hope to a struggling nation and paved the way for new opportunities. This captivating tale not only highlights historical events but also emphasizes the importance of resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.
Each chapter is designed to introduce children to text-based books, helping them expand their vocabulary and prepare for more advanced reading. With age-appropriate language and relatable themes, this book ensures that the lessons of history are accessible and engaging for readers aged 8 to 12.
Key takeaways in every chapter provide essential lessons and inspiration, guiding young minds toward a successful early life. As they navigate through the challenges of Prohibition and the Great Depression, readers will learn about the importance of making informed choices, understanding the consequences of actions, and the power of hope and determination.
For Adults:
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent
From its start, America has been awash in drink. The sailing vessel that brought John Winthrop to the shores of the New World in 1630 carried more beer than water. By the 1820s, liquor flowed so plentifully it was cheaper than tea. That Americans would ever agree to relinquish their booze was as improbable as it was astonishing.
Yet we did, and Last Call is Daniel Okrent’s dazzling explanation of why we did it, what life under Prohibition was like, and how such an unprecedented degree of government interference in the private lives of Americans changed the country forever.
Writing with both wit and historical acuity, Okrent reveals how Prohibition marked a confluence of diverse forces: the growing political power of the women’s suffrage movement, which allied itself with the anti liquor campaign; the fear of small-town, native-stock Protestants that they were losing control of their country to the immigrants of the large cities; the anti-German sentiment stoked by World War I; and a variety of other unlikely factors, ranging from the rise of the automobile to the advent of the income tax.
Through it all, Americans kept drinking, going to remarkably creative lengths to smuggle, sell, conceal, and convivially (and sometimes fatally) imbibe their favorite intoxicants. Last Call is peopled with vivid characters of an astonishing variety: Susan B. Anthony and Billy Sunday, William Jennings Bryan and bootlegger Sam Bronfman, Pierre S. du Pont and H. L. Mencken, Meyer Lansky and the incredible—if long-forgotten—federal official Mabel Walker Willebrandt, who throughout the twenties was the most powerful woman in the country. (Perhaps most surprising of all is Okrent’s account of Joseph P. Kennedy’s legendary, and long-misunderstood, role in the liquor business.)
Prohibition: Thirteen Years that Changed America by Edward Behr
Prohibition: Thirteen Years that Changed America by Edward Behr
From the bestselling author of The Last Emperor comes this rip-roaring history of the government’s attempt to end America’s love affair with liquor—which failed miserably. On January 16, 1920, America went dry. For the next thirteen years, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the making, selling, or transportation of “intoxicating liquors,” heralding a new era of crime and corruption on all levels of society. Instead of eliminating alcohol, Prohibition spurred more drinking than ever before.
Formerly law-abiding citizens brewed moonshine, became rum- runners, and frequented speakeasies. Druggists, who could dispense “medicinal quantities” of alcohol, found their customer base exploding overnight. So many people from all walks of life defied the ban that Will Rogers famously quipped, “Prohibition is better than no liquor at all.” Here is the full, rollicking story of those tumultuous days, from the flappers of the Jazz Age and the “beautiful and the damned” who drank their lives away in smoky speakeasies to bootlegging gangsters—Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone—and the notorious St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Edward Behr paints a portrait of an era that changed the country forever.
Works Cited
Works Cited
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