Changing Ways of Life Chapter 13-1

Rural & Urban Differences Between 1922 & 1929 more than 2 million people would leave their rural communities for the city The charm & close personal relationships would give way to the culture & fast pace of city life

The New Urban Scene City life was much different than that of the country side Life was booming, fast paced, & industrially based The population make up was a melting pot of cultures, religions, & languages During the day an estimated 300,000 workers crowed the streets, 150,000 cars rushed down the highway, & 20,000 trolley’s rushed people to their destination At night the city was just as alive as people crowed the theaters, restaurants, playhouses The adjustment for many would not be easy as they traded their small town values, close ties, & strict morals for the big city world of anonymous crowds, money makers, & pleasure seekers

The Prohibition Experiment One example of a clash in values was over the issue of Prohibition or the ban on the sale, manufacture, or consumption of alcohol The 18th Amendment would ignite this conflict Reformers viewed alcohol as a source of corruption as it led to drunkenness, wife & child abuse, accidents, as well as other social evils Support for the legislation came largely from the Protestant community in the South & West Organizations such as the Anti-Saloon league & the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) also helped push the Amendment through At first saloons closed their doors but after WWI people were tired of making sacrifices & wanted to have fun Immigrants did not view drink as a sin, but rather a natural part of socializing & they resented the governments interference in their lives

The Prohibition Experiment The fate of Prohibition would be determined by the government as they would be unable to enforce the law The Volstead Act was passed with the intention of giving enforcement powers to local officials as well as creating the Prohibition Bureau within the Treasury department The department was grossly understaffed & ill trained with 1,500 officers The bureau had the responsibility of patrolling 18,700 miles of coastline, as well as inland boarders, tracking down illegal stills, monitoring highways for illegal contraband, & monitoring those industries that used alcohol for manufacturing purposes It was an impossible task

Speakeasies & Bootleggers To satisfy their desire for alcohol many went underground to hidden saloons or nightclubs called speakeasies These illegal saloons were so called because you would speak easy so not to draw attention To gain entrance you had to show a card or know the proper password Once inside you would find men & women from all walks of life Still others would learn to brew their own alcohol from home stills These folks were called bootleggers, named for those who would smuggle liquor in their boots

Organized Crime Prohibition not only generated disrespect for the law but also contributed to the growth of organized crime in nearly every major city One of the most famous was Al Capone of Chicago Capone would take control of the Chicago liquor business by killing off his competition

Organized Crime By the mid 1920’s only 19% of Americans supported Prohibition Many believed that the “experiment” caused more issues than the initial problem while others believed that it strengthened moral values The 18th Amendment would remain in force until it was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933

Prohibition: Cause & Effect

American Fundamentalism Another controversy that stuck society was that of religion & their fundamentalist thinkers versus science & their discoveries The fundamentalists were Protestants who believed in literal or no symbolic interpretation of the bible Once such theory that was highly contested was the idea of evolution Fundamentalist were appalled at the idea that humans had developed from apes after all the bible states that humans were created by God Fundamentalist preachers such as Billy Sunday & Aimee McPherson preached against evolution across the country The issue would come to a head in 1925 with the Scopes trial

The Scopes Trial In 1925 Tennessee passed the first state law that made teaching evolution illegal John Scopes a biology teacher would challenge the law by teaching evolution in his classroom Scopes was arrested & sent to trial Scopes was defended by famed attorney Clarence Darrow The state was represented by William Jennings Bryan Clarence Darrow & William Jennings Bryan

The Scopes Trial The trial was not about guilt or innocence but rather the role of science & religion in public schools as well as American society During the trial Darrow would called Bryn an expert on the bible grilling him on religious beliefs until Bryan admitted the bible might be interpreted in different ways In the end Scopes was found guilty & fined $100, but was later overturned, & the law remained in tact