1. Changing Ways of Life in the 20s
What societal differences does America see in the 20s?

2. Urban living…the place to be
By the start of the 1920s, 51% of Americans lived in a city, with 2 mill more a year moving to a city
Why? more job opportunities, easy transportation, diverse, nightlife plus drinking, gambling & casual dating tolerated
Big Cities include New York (5.6m), Chicago (3m), Philadelphia (2m)

3. Rural Life
Small towns & farms had conservative values & were religious
Rural people saw cities as immoral places, esp due to alcohol, gambling and new roles for women
Rural America favored prohibition of alcohol to save America

4. Prohibiting Alcohol
18th Amendment goes into effect in 1920, outlawing the sale, consumption & manufacturing of alcohol
Volstead Act established a Prohibition Bureau to enforce law, but govt doesn’t have enough money to fund it and enforce prohibition laws
As a result, hidden saloons & social clubs called speakeasies open up in major cities, criminals run the illegal “speaks”

5. Speakeasy Ad

6. Organized Crime & Bootlegging
To get alcohol to the US, bootleggers would smuggle alcohol in from Canada, Cuba or W. Indies
Money from bootlegging & speakeasies helped fund organized crime
Most organized crime was run by immigrants that were discriminated against in America (esp Italians & Jews)
Chicago: Al Capone ran 10k Speakeasies, gambling clubs, and brothels. Capone responsible for 522 gang-related murders
New York: Arnold Rothstein ran illegal liquor and gambling, Lucky Luciano ran illegal liquor, prostitution and drugs

7. The Scopes Trial
As bootlegging and crime were gaining ground in cities, Fundamentalists were gaining ground in rural America
1925: Fundamentalists challenge the teaching of evolution in schools, Tennessee becomes first state to make it illegal to teach evolution
Teacher John Scopes is arrested for teaching evolution
ACLU hires lawyer Clarence Darrow to defend Scopes’1st Amend. right
William Jennings Bryan helps prosecution. “Monkey trial” more about Darrow vs. Bryan and challenging the bible, not Scopes teaching
Scopes is found guilty but verdict is overturned, (law still remained in effect)