Interior of a crowded bar moments before midnight, June 30, 1919, when wartime prohibition went into effect New York City. 1919. Photograph Negative. The Library of Congress. Washington, DC https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3c23253/
This image, which captures a crowded bar in New York City just before the rules of prohibition were set to go into effect, clearly establishes the idea that many people did not fully support the prohibition of alcohol. Many of the men who can be seen with full drinks in their hands or on the bar in front of them, likely did not finish the beverage before they became illegal and thus were actively ignoring and rebelling against the newly ratified amendment. The varying facial expressions also represent their potential feelings: some appear angry and defiant, some are smiling, laughing, and maybe even mocking the ban, while others are more serious or concerned about what will happen next. It’s also worth noting the demographics that make up the room, allowing students to ask questions about who has enough social power to actively disobey the law without concern for repercussions.
This black-and-white photograph captures a crowded bar minutes before the law of prohibition went into effect. On the left appear to be bartenders/staff dressed in white, with a room full of patrons on the right. Most of the men are in formal wear, including either a necktie or bow tie and a hat. They are looking at the camera, indicating it is not candid.
From 1920–1933 the production, importation, and sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal in the United States after the Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified. World War I had just ended, and a bottle of beer cost about 10 cents before Prohibition was passed.
- This photograph was taken “minutes before…prohibition went into effect.” What inferences can you make about the subjects’ stance on the law?
- What do you notice about the demographic makeup of the room?
- How might the Eighteenth Amendment affect the people in the picture?
New York State Next Gen ELA Standards
11-12R6: Analyze how authors employ point of view, perspective, and purpose, to shape explicit and implicit messages (e.g., persuasiveness, aesthetic quality, satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement). (RI&RL)
- Students can view this image with the goal of making inferences about the purpose of the photograph. They can investigate the image for hints regarding whether the picture is meant to document the last drink these men will ever have or whether it is meant to capture their dissent.
11-12R7: In literary texts, analyze multiple adaptations of a source text as presented in different formats (e.g., works of art, graphic novels, music, film, etc.), specifically evaluating how each version interprets the source. (RL)
- Students can compare the people represented in this photograph with descriptions of characters in literature set in the same time period.
- What Did Fitzgerald Think?: As students read The Great Gatsby or another novel set during this time period, students can track the alcohol consumption of the characters. More importantly, students can track the impact that alcohol has on the development of the plot and/or character relationships and argue in writing or in a discussion whether they believe the author would have supported prohibition or not. This photograph could help launch that discussion by the teacher asking students what they think happened next, once midnight struck and the law officially went into effect*. Students would be required/encouraged to support their answers with details from the image and their own background knowledge on the subject.
- *The amendment would not become effective until June 17, 1920, so the conversation could be expanded to what students think society would do during the year between when the amendment was ratified and enforced.
- Who Feels What?: As a more creative opportunity, students could choose individual figures from the photograph and imagine their reaction to the news that the Eighteenth Amendment had been ratified.
- Effective Arguments Research: Students could research the arguments in favor of prohibition that were ultimately successful despite the popularity of alcohol consumption demonstrated in the photograph. Students could conduct a rhetorical analysis of those arguments or any other current topic in our culture.
- The photograph depicts the consumption of alcohol, which some might find inappropriate at the high school level, especially since it may lead to discussion of whether there are valid reasons for being anti-prohibition and being pro-alcohol. Students might feel uncomfortable discussing the topic because of their own experience or lack of experience with alcohol.
Links to resources for approaching those topics
- This is a guide to the Ken Burns documentary about Prohibition on PBS.
- The National Archives (DocsTeach) has a multi-layered lesson plan for teaching prohibition.
- The “Hooch hound” in action
- This photograph depicts a dog, trained to detect liquor, pulling a bottle from a man’s back pocket while he fishes. The photograph could also be analyzed for its visual rhetoric regarding prohibition.
- The closed canteen and the open dive
- This political cartoon, brimming with symbolism, calls attention to the problems of closed canteens. The cartoon could be similarly analyzed for its visual rhetoric on the topic of prohibition.
- Up For Debate: Has Alcohol Left Humanity Better or Worse Off?: This article contains responses to a newsletter published by The Atlantic, which asked “Are humans better or worse off for having beer, wine, and spirits?” The responses are informal and only appropriate for older students but offer a full range of perspectives on the topic in an easy-to-read and accessible format.
- Eighteenth Amendment: This section of Constitution.Congress.gov offers an annotated and explained background on the Eighteenth Amendment.
- History.com’s Prohibition Page: This page on History.com offers a range of resources for expanding student background knowledge on the effects of prohibition.