Why we chose this topic?
We chose this topic because Andrew's grandfather was shot and killed because of Prohibition. His Grandfather was a federal agent and he was trying to arrest two bootleggers. One of the men shot WT Lewis and they were arrested. Another reason we chose this topic is because we did not know much about Prohibition. We thought it would be a unique and interesting topic.
How we conducted our research?
Andrew’s mom went to Sheppard Memorial Library and checked out three books about Prohibition. Then Andrew met up with his grandma for an interview about W.T. Lewis. Then on safari we searched for Prohibition and we found a few reliable websites. We then wrote down some information in our own words and inserted it into a google doc. We put the link under the information it matched up with.
How we selected our category and created our entry?
We selected the group website category because David had done a website last year. We figured it would be easier because David had experience. We also thought that not a lot of people would do a website. We would have a better chance of moving on if we did a website. We went to the National History Day website and found the URL to the website creator. We chose how many pages to make. Then we figured out what information to put on each page.
How our topic relates to the annual theme?
Our topic relates to the theme because the government was communicating a message when they were passing the amendment, and bootleggers had to secretly communicate to smuggle illegal beverages into the states. They had to work together to make cars and vehicles to escape the police. People were communicating through protests to get the amendment repealed.
What is our historical argument?
Prohibition was ratified with the intention of improving personal hygiene. Also to promote better behavior and stop crime, however the prohibition actually promoted crime. Whenever someone would want alcohol they would have to do something illegal.They would smuggle it, make it, or steal it. People were protesting in the streets all the time. From our point of view the Prohibition was one of the worst amendments to ever be ratified.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Blair, Bill. Moonshine Car Racing.
Some moonshine cars were very fast. A lot of people spent their time racing at fairgrounds.
Congress, Library Of. Confiscated Liquor.
Some Confiscated Liquor that the government collected.
Gillespie, Nick. US Is Voted Dry .
The 36th state ratified the dry amendment on January 16. Nebraska nosed out Missouri for honor of writing the amendment in the constitution.
Grave, Find A. “William Thomas Lewis (1888-1927) - Find A Grave...” Find a Grave, 12 June 2009, www.findagrave.com/memorial/38270059/william-thomas-lewis.
Picture of W.T. Lewis
Images, Getty. New Yorkers Bid Farewell to the 18th Amendment That Legalized Prohibition and Which Was Repealed by the 21st Amendment on Dec. 5, 1933. .
The New Yorkers are all having a toast to the end of Prohibition.
Moore, Bobby. A Ford V8.
This is The Ford V8, the fastest car at that time. The Bootleggers would use these cars to drive during the night and escape the Police.
Origins, Mafia. The Mafia-Pedia.
The protestors walked in the streets for hours never giving up. They held up signs saying "We want beer."
Trail, Distillery. Repeal of Prohibition.
Prohibition was repealed at 5:32pm 1933. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the cause of this.
Secondary Sources
Andrews, Evan. “10 Things You Should Know About Prohibition.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 16 Jan. 2015, www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-prohibition.
The 18th Amendment only forbade the manufacture, sale, and transportation, but not the consumption. All the wine, beer or spirits Americans had stashed away in January 1920 were theirs to keep and enjoy in the privacy of their homes.
Balter, Emma. “10 Things That Might Surprise You About Prohibition.” Wine Spectator, Wine Spectator, 5 Dec. 2018, www.winespectator.com/articles/10-things-that-might-surprise-you-about-prohibition.
In 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for president and promised to repeal
History.com Editors, History.com. “Prohibition.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/prohibition.
Prohibition is the 18th Amendment. It was ratified January 16, 1919. It went into full effect January 17, 1920.
Klein, Christopher. “How Prohibition Gave Birth to NASCAR.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Nov. 2017, www.history.com/news/how-prohibition-gave-birth-to-nascar.
Prohibition is what started NASCAR. Prohibition outlawed all manufacturing and drinking of alcohol. This caused many people to make cars that were fast enough to escape from the Police. They would have to drive in the dark with no headlights. They eventually started racing in 1930 at local fairgrounds.
Mtholyoke, Liana. Why Prohibition Failed, 2000, www.mtholyoke.edu/~bernt22l/classweb/Liana/Failure.html.
The reason Prohibition failed is because it was creating more chaos than there was before. It was supposed to help the government keep money but they lost even more. The great depression came and they had to repeal the amendment.
Phillips, Clare, interviewed by Andrew Walter on 10/14/20
She told us the story of W.T. Lewis
Severn, Bill. The End of the Roaring Twenties: Prohibition and Repeal; Illustrated with Photographs. Messner, 1971.
It is the only amendment to ever be repealed Thanks to Franklin D Roosevelt
Smith, Ian. “When America Went Dry: 23 Awesome Facts about Prohibition Era!” The Vintage News, 4 Oct. 2016, www.thevintagenews.com/2015/07/28/when-america-went-dry-23-awesome-facts-about-prohibition-era/.
Prohibition cost the federal government a total of $11 billion in lost tax revenue and cost over $300 million to enforce. It has been estimated that during the Prohibition Era, $2,000 million worth of business was transferred from the brewing industry and bars to bootleggers and gangsters.