21-1 Changing Ways of Life

In January 1920, Prohibition went into effect 1a. Supporters of Prohibition : Progressive reformers Religious groups (WCTU) Women’s Christian Temperance Union People who lived in the rural south and west Native born protestants 1b. Why did they support it? They believed that drinking led to crime, wife and child abuse, and other social problems They believed that drinking was sinful They believed that the government should outlaw liquor to protect the public health and morals.

Why was Prohibition Repealed It was repealed because local police and the federal enforcement agency were under funded, understaffed and overwhelmed Drinkers and bootleggers found ways to evade the law through speakeasies, home stills and smuggling Underworld gangs caused a rise in crime and lawlessness Prohibition came to be seen as worse than the problems it was supposed to fix

Tennessee v. John Scopes ("The Monkey Trial")

In July 1925, Clarence Darrow and Williams Jennings Bryan faced each other in the Scopes Trial Darrow’s main supporters: Secular thinkers, moderate protestants, liberal thinkers American Civil Liberties Union People who didn’t interpret the bible literally People who believed Darwin’s theory of Evolution Why did they support them? They supported scientific thinking They believed in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution They did not believe that the bible should be interpreted literally They were concerned about the growing political power of fundamentalism

Who were Bryan’s main supporters? Protestant fundamentalists = those who interpreted the bible literally Why did they support him? They believed in creationism = literal interpretation of Genesis They were skeptical of scientific knowledge and did not want evolution taught to their children What was the outcome of the case? Scopes was found guilty and fined $ The verdict was later overturned, but the law outlawing teaching evolution remained on the books