1. 1920s Changing Ways of Life Prohibition, Organized Crime, Religious Fundamentalism and the Scopes Trial

2. 18 th Amendment: Prohibition  Banning the manufacturing, selling & transportation of alcohol  Supported by many reformers from rural to the west: Women’s Christian Temperance Union & evangelist, Billy Sunday; drinking was a “sin”  Most immigrants resented U.S. governmental interference with their personal lives.  Volstead Act established Prohibition Bureau as part of Treasury Dept.  Enforcing the law was difficult: 18,700 miles of coastline to patrol.  J. Smith

3. Organized Crime & Al Capone  In every big city, gangs took advantage of prohibition. “Bootleggers”made sold and transported liquor for big $’s.  Chicago, Illinois was the headquarters for the most notorious mob boss of the 1920s: AL CAPONE  AL CAPONE who killed off most of his competitors (St. Valentine’s Day Massacre). Turf wars occurred among the Irish, Jewish, and Italian gangs.  His empire made over $60 million dollars, finally convicted and imprisoned for income tax evasion. Served time in Alcatraz, died from complications of syphlitic dementia, pneumonia, and cardiac arrest in 1947.  De La O

4. Religious Fundamentalism  Fundamentalists/ Creationists were skeptical of modern scientific discoveries & theories. They believed the Bible was inspired by God and that the Book of Genesis was the true authority on creation.  Rejected the theory of evolutionists, esp. Cha. Darwin  Billy Sunday, a baseball layer turned evangelist, and Aimee Semple McPherson used Hollywood showmanship to preach the gospel, esp. to homesick Midwestern immigrants.  Both called for laws prohibiting the teaching of evolution  Oppenlander

5. Tennessee v John Scopes “The Monkey Trial”  1925 Court case that exemplified the clash between the religious Fundamentalists and the secular Modernists. National Sensation.  Williams Jennings Bryan (D) candidate for President, led crusade to banish the teaching of evolution in public schools.  ACLU was willing to offer services to anyone willing to challenge the ban in 15 states of teaching evolution.  John Scopes took up the challenge. He was defended by Clarence Darrow. Prosecution was led by Williams J. Bryan.  Scopes was found guilty and fined $100.00 but it brought to national attention the controversies across the nation between religion and science.  D. Lindsay