Anti-intoxication NationProhibition in the 1920s

Definition of Prohibition Prohibition of alcohol

is banning the making, movement and sale of alcohol

Spanned for as much as 48 years in PEI

Quebec never passed prohibition legislation

Prohibition in CanadaProvince Year

StartedYear

EndedPEI 1900 1948NS 1910 1930ON 1916 1927MB 1916 1923AB 1916 1924NB 1917 1927SK 1917 1925YK 1917 1920BC 1917 1921QC No Prohibition

Canadian Laws on Liquor Canadian laws on liquor split the

responsibilities between the federal and provincial governments

The Federal government controlled: The manufacturing of alcohol The importation of alcohol The exporting of alcohol

Provincial governments controlled: Drinking age Sales of alcohol Consumption of alcohol

Problems with Drunks Many men would

waste their pay checks on alcohol

Drunkenness also led to crime and unsafe driving

Many people felt that the grain used to make alcohol should have been sent to the soldiers in the trenches

The Temperance Movement The temperance

movement arose in the early 20th century

Its aim was to ban alcohol because they thought it was responsible for many of society’s problems

Religious groups and many women who had just received the right to vote formed temperance groups

Aims of Prohibition Prohibition aimed

to: Lower crime rates Lessen instances of

child and wife abuse

Cause men to become better providers

Assist the war effort

Early Success Prohibition had a

promising start: Alcohol

consumption lowered by 80%

Crime rates decreased

Fewer cases of abuse

Men provided for their families, took less days off work

The Downfall of Dryness Soon arose:

Moonshine Bootleggers Speakeasies/Blind

Pigs Organised crime

led to rich criminals and poorer provinces

Lost freedom

Famous Bootleggers: Al Capone Most famous

bootlegger ever Boss of Chicago

Outfit Seen in Moose Jaw,

Sask. from time to time “I don’t even know what

street Canada is on” Convicted for tax

evasion: 11 years in Alcatraz

Famous Bootleggers: Bronfman Brothers

Two Jewish immigrants form Montreal saw opportunity in the U.S. prohibition in 1924

Smuggled liquor into the U.S. and became rich under the alias “Mr. Norton”

Four years later they owned the largest distillery in the world

Famous Bootleggers: SS I’m Alone Canadian rum-

running ship, built in Britain

Smuggling liquor form Belize to Louisiana

Sank by US Coast Guard, pursued from 321 km

What we learned We learned that

when legislating the prohibition of alcohol, without enormous enforcement, its effectiveness becomes very limited over time.

Effec

tive

ness

Time

Dry towns in Canada Govenlock, Saskatchewan, now a ghost town Old Crow, Yukon is a dry Gwich‘in community on the

Porcupine River The city of Owen Sound, Ontario continued to outlaw

liquor well into the 1970s Steinbach, Manitoba did not allow the sale of liquor

within city limits until 2011 Verdun, Quebec only recently ended a 45-year ban on

bars and taverns in the community, in December 2010

Picture Citations http://www.prairieghosts.com/capone6.jpg (Joel) http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TFRk-MtsMew/S88DZ_R_DlI/AAAAAA

AAAvc/99ETZIb0u_Q/s1600/3c23257v.jpg (Aaren)

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/ja10/timeline/history-canada-us-border-smuggling.html (Joel)

http://old-photos.blogspot.ca/2008/09/temperance-movement.html (Aaren)

http://www.gcsehistory.org.uk/modernworld/usa/prohibitionandgangsters.htm (Aaren)

http://pendletonpanther.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/bringing-home-the-bacon/ (Aaren)

http://thegreatjaygatsby.blogspot.ca/2010/05/1920s-gangsters.html (Joel)

Info Citations Canada: Face of a Nation, Textbook (Aaren and Joel) http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/ja10/timeli

ne/history-canada-us-border-smuggling.html (Joel)

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/prohibition (Aaren)

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/temperance-movement (Aaren)

FIN