The Untouchables



The Untouchables

In this activity you will examine the United States experiment with banning alcohol (prohibition) in the 1920s, and view a major film (The Untouchables) depicting the event, as well as answering questions based upon the film. In the film, federal U.S. agent Elliot Ness assembles a personal team of mob fighters to bring Chicago crime boss Al Capone to justice using unconventional means during the mob wars of the 1920s. This fictionalized account of the arrest of Al Capone is heavy on style and action, and does well to recreate the events and issues associated with prohibition in the 1920s.

 

Prohibition in the 1920s: Background

 

Are you aware that alcohol (including beer, wine and spirits) was once a banned substance in the United States. It was illegal from 1920-33. This was the era of prohibition. The word prohibition comes from the verb “prohibit,” meaning “prevent.” Prohibition refers to the fact that in the United States, people were prevented from buying or selling alcoholic beverages. In the US, the laws against alcoholic were pushed by various “Temperance” groups who wanted people to stop using alcoholic beverages. Church groups and women’s groups, such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), wanted prohibition, and encouraged the government to pass laws against alcohol. Both groups were aware of the many ruined lives created by alcohol abuse. Laws in Canada allowed for the making of alcohol, but not its sale in Canada. After 1925, much of the alcohol produced in Canada was sold to the United States. However, the Canadian-made alcohol needed to be smuggled into the United States because it was not legal to bring “booze” into the U.S. This led to the practice of “rum running”, or secretly moving the booze across the border.

Although it was difficult for the police to enforce the prohibition laws, drunkenness and associated crimes declined significantly. Many people made illegal home-brewed "moonshine" or booze. Bootlegging (the illegal sale of alcohol as a beverage) rose dramatically, as did the number of unlawful drinking places, known as "speakeasies" or "blind pigs." One way to drink legally was to be "ill." If you were "ill", a doctor could give you a prescription for alcohol to be filled at a drugstore. Especially during the Christmas holiday season, there were long line-ups at drugstores to get liquor prescriptions for “ill” people.

 

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|The Untouchables: |  |

|  |  |

|In this activity you will view the major | [pic] |

|motion picture, The Untouchables in | |

|class. It is a great representation of | |

|some of the social events and problems of| |

|the time period. It does well to depict | |

|the constant battle of social morals that| |

|characterized the era, as well as the | |

|back and forth struggle with crime. The | |

|film will also help you develop informed | |

|opinions about the prohibition era. The | |

|film does contain a few violent scenes | |

|and some explicit language. | |

|  | |

Assignment:

 

Movie Worksheet: The Untouchables

 

1.     What is the problem addressed in the movie?

2.     Identify what the 18th amendment was in the United States. How did the 18th amendment assist in being a catalyst to organized crime?

3.     Who is Elliot Ness? Who is Al Capone?

4.     Why is it difficult to control prohibition? 

5.     What is the setting and atmosphere of the movie? 

6.     What are bootleggers? What are Speakeasies? 

7.     Write a movie review (3-5 sentences), in which you analyze the film as a representation of history.  

8.     In the 1920's, governments in Canada and the United States decided to prohibit the use and sale of a certain product -- alcohol. Today, the governments of the US and Canada prohibits or limits the sale of certain products like steroids, marijuana, and some diet supplements.  Construct a chart in which the rows of your chart are organized as follows:

a.     Briefly explain why each product is prohibited (at least two points per product). * In some cases the product may not be fully prohibited (as alcohol was not in the 1920s), but is certainly limited in its use and sale,

b.    List both the advantages and disadvantages (two each) of the decision to ban each of these products.

d.    Be sure to also include your (informed) opinion on this issue.

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