Preview

Gender And Prohibition In Butte Women In The 1920's

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
108 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gender And Prohibition In Butte Women In The 1920's
“In the 1920’s, Butte women made, sold, and drank liquor in unprecedented fashion.” This is a quote from Bootlegging Mothers and Drinking Daughters: Gender and Prohibition in Butte, Montana. This source has first account interactions of what happened during the 1920’s for women in Butte and the role they played during prohibition. The source gives firsthand account details of things people actually did during the prohibition era, instead of a historian's making claims, or having a theory of what happened. Here is a story and a first hand account from a police officer as he gives his insight into his job as a prohibition officer during this era.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Daily Life in US 1920-1935

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The 1920s began with the Eighteenth Amendment taking the possibility of going out for drinks off the table, not that Americans were willing to abide by that law.1 This one plain and simple fact made bootlegging one more thing that the 1920’s would become famous for. Bootlegging was the word used to describe the transportation and sale of illegally obtained liquor in speakeasies across the country. It was a very profitable business and made many men rich and some famous. One of the most well-known was a man named Al Capone. He was the son of Italian immigrants, and he became rich and infamous as a bootlegger and then a mafia kingpin who was sent to prison for evading his taxes.2…

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prohibition’s main goal was to improve the morale of citizen throughout the United States, however the public found ways around the new laws by participating in illegal activity. Speak easies, illegal alcohol production and gangs all flourished during the time of prohibition. While many negative things came from prohibition, not all negatively affected our society. Prohibition in Chicago in the 1920’s is generally viewed as a failure; yet there were some positive aspects, such as the formation of support groups for alcoholics and their family members, which came from prohibition that still strongly influences Chicago today in a positive manner.…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before 1920 a few women attended seminary or an academy for women to learn and be educated but women were not allowed to attend universities and college campuses; this was for men only and women believed they too could benefit from obtaining a degree and becoming part of the work force, helping their families and being able to move up the ladder economically. This was considered by many women as the beginning of a long fight to establish their rights and place in the world. Women believed they deserved the same opportunities as men in regards to education. Women for years attended the seminary and academies that they were allowed but continually fought to attend a college or university, even fighting to attend co-educational colleges with men; this was an upward climb but women were determined to become part of society and their families as equals.…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Doc F reflects crime data related to homicides that show steady increases throughout the period of Prohibition. In fact, the data indicates a 45% increase from 1920 to 1933! To make this worse, the intended benefit of reducing alcohol consumption was not even being achieved. Data reflected in Doc E shows that by 1923 alcohol consumption was already higher than what it was in 1918, two years before the constitutional amendment was ratified. Doc E shows consumption continued to grow throughout the period of Prohibition. A lot of normal jobs were shut down during the time of prohibition and new jobs related to the illegal activity surrounding the manufacture and distribution of alcohol were created. Doc B, an excerpt from “The Rumrunners, a prohibition scrapbook” makes the case that Prohibition was a great success for “the bootleggers, the rumrunners and gangsters, the roadhouse proprietors, the police, the magistrates, the spotters, the boaters and armies of others.” All these new jobs were illegal which increased crime in many areas. Prohibition failed to reduce consumption, created a lot of illegal jobs and led to an increase in…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Perhaps the largest factor in the change was the overall increase in crime. The most horrifying statistic from the Prohibition Era was the dramatic increase in homicides. Information taken from a FBI statistical report on homicides states that there was an excess of 9 homicides for every 100,000 people. There were more homicides during prohibition than during the upcoming decades, including both World War I and World War II (excluding deaths during combat). In order to continue the supply of alcohol, now illegal, underground operations began popping up in urban cities. Bootleggers ranged from middle class citizens and their homemade moonshine to an elaborate network complete with a supplier and several customers. With limits on law enforcement and the extent of U.S. jurisdiction, it was easy for people to get around the law. The distance off a U.S. coastline and boarders proved to be difficult areas for law enforcement to maintain. Bootleggers could often get out of U.S. jurisdiction and across the border to either Mexico or Canada where alcohol was completely legal…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The “Roaring Twenties” marked the change in American culture forever. Between the new inventions, upbeat jazz music, parties and theatres, America had adopted a newfound racy culture. Life’s possibilities and leisure freedoms had been greatly broadened, that is until the 18th amendment passed. On January 17th, 1920, the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol were prohibited across the nation. Referred to as prohibition, the American government used this amendment as an experiment to see if alcohol was truly at blame for the rising problems in the nation. However, 13 years after enacted, the 18th amendment was repealed by the 21st. The repeal of the 18th…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The 1920s was an era of corruption within the law. Through prohibition, the government was enforcing discipline. Prohibition was forbidding the production of alcohol and restrictions because of the reckless use of alcohol. The government banned alcohol in attempt to “reduce drinking by eliminating the businesses that manufactured, distributed, and sold alcoholic beverages” (“Why”). The effect of prohibition was bootlegging, which…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The people's defiance to prohibition laws continued to rise and took the amendment’s advocates by surprise. People who could afford the high price of bootleg liquor rushed to speakeasies and gin joints. These establishments could be quite entrancing, where as before prohibition saloons had seldom welcomed women. The new versions of nightclubs invited both the bob-haired “flapper” and her “sheik” to drink cocktails, smoke, and dance to jazz. Working-class consumption of liquor migrated from saloons to their homes. “Bathtub gin”…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The dry movement, also known as the temperance movement or the prohibition movement, had a wide variety of supporters: religious and rural conservatives as well as urban progressives; men as well as women, sometimes working together, sometimes separately; wealthy business owners who thought alcohol made their workers less productive as well as workers who thought alcohol was used to oppress them; white people who feared the perceived danger of black people drinking as well as black people who thought alcohol was a tool to limit their…

    • 87 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prohibition was one of the main changes to society during the Roaring 20’s. Prohibition was a ban all on distribution, production and consumption of alcohol and was created in 1919. Prohibition began because of the societal issues caused by drinking. Some of these issues included parents not being able to support their family because they spent all their money on alcohol, abusive drunks and underage drinking. In Document 1 an excerpt from…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    women in 1920s

    • 1317 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Women’s rights were important to them because they want to have freedom like men’s do. They just don’t want to stay home and take care of their family. They wants to works, rights to vote, gain education and etc. That’s why women’s rights were important to them lot.…

    • 1317 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women in the 1920's

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Before World War II no one believed women had a place in the military, yet women overcame this and helped the United States reach victory. Women felt they needed and wanted to get involved in the war instead of sitting at home, taking care of the children, cooking dinner, and cleaning the house. Women joined military support organizations like the WACs, the WAVES and the WASPs. These kinds of organizations contributed immensely toward the United States war effort. Women felt that if men could serve in the war, they could, too. Women relieved men of certain jobs so the men could go fight in the war. Women worked hard and took the men’s places, but they could not fight or get close to battle. Women’s roles in the war changed society, and lasted long after the United States declared victory.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    New technological advancements that dramatically effected people’s lives and created a sense of promise for the future.…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the roaring twenties, society began evolving into political and industrialize perspectives which allow growth in many different aspects of life. The events occurred during this period exceed the feminine rights to vote and show prospects in equality of gender. However, many illegal activity began due to the eighteenth amendment enacted on January 16th, 1920. The eighteenth amendment was ratified to decrease drunkenness and family abuse when consumed alcohol. The prohibition interdicted the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcohol in the United States. Thus, contributed in the creation of bootlegging liquor business as a complex criminal enterprise and many other illegal activities.…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women In The 1920's

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The 1920’s were the years of expression, change, innovations and new opportunities. Within these years women were exposed to different types of cultures and expressions some major ones being jazz and flappers. Women also gained the right to vote when the nineteenth amendment was passed allowing women to now have a say in political circumstances. Sheppard-Towner Act was also passed making it possible to have well-baby clinics, educational programs, as well as nursing. Expression for women came from the influence of flappers, which were usually young women who partied nonstop. This new stereotype for women came with the expression of dance, fashion and women clubs and college influenced to change their looks and way of lives. Although women were…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays