Prohibition and the Scopes Trial

Read Chapter 21-1, Changing Ways of Life, and answer the question below in at least two paragraphs. Make sure you include specific references from the reading to support your answer

Do you think the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling in the Scopes trial represented genuine triumphs for traditional values? Think About:

• changes in urban life in the 1920s

• the effects of Prohibition

• the legacy of the Scopes trial

I think that the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling in the Scopes trial did not represent genuine triumphs for the traditional values. The Volstead act established a Prohibition Bureau in the Treasury Department in 1919, but the agency was underfunded. This led to many poorly paid federal agents and local police having to do the hard job of patrolling the coast, searching for illegal stills and watching over the industries involving alcohol to make sure they weren't using it illegally. This was largely ineffective. Moving into cities in the U.S. became popular among citizens and the cities became over crowded, which led to more problems. There was an increase of crime in order for people to obtain alcohol, for example there were speakeasies, which were hidden night clubs where alcohol was illegally sold. In the end, the passage of the Volstead Act only made matters worse. It didn't stop people from drinking and it caused them to find illegal ways to obtain alcohol.

Scopes, a biology teacher in Tennessee, where the teaching of evolution was made illegal, was arrested when he read a passage from a book talking about evolution. His trial was more about evolution and the role of science and religion in public schools than his actions. He was found guilty and was fined &100, and the outlawing of the teaching of evolution remained in place. This trial failed to disprove anything, and didn't change the law. This was about beliefs and theories rather than facts, which is where there can be many discrepancies. The ruling of the Scopes trial did not represent a genuine triumph for traditional values because although Scopes was found guilty and the law remained, the trial failed to prove or disprove anything, giving neither side the victory.