1920's Prohibition - 1960's Public Protests

  • Start of Prohibition

    Prohibition was ratified by the states on January 16, 1919
  • Act is Passed

    The National Prohibition Act, also known as the Volstead Act, is passed in Cincinnati, Ohio.
  • The Circle

    In 1920, Lawyer George Remus moves to Cincinnati to set up a drug company to gain legal access to bonded liquor.
  • Officially in Effect

    Officially went into effect on January 17, 1920
  • Kentucky Stills

    In 1922, Frank Mather signs on with treasury department to scour Nelson County, Kentucky for moonshiners, arresting them and dumping their whiskey into local streams.
  • Scofflaw

    Four years after Prohibition was first imposed, the Boston Herald offered $200 to the reader who came up with a brand-new word for someone who flagrantly ignored the edict and drank liquor that had been illegally made or illegally sold.
  • Beer Wars

    In 1926 Alphonse 'Al' Capone is blamed for murder of prosecuter, Billy McSwiggin.
  • Purple Gang Trial

    The Purple Gang of Detroit, Michigan, goes to trial for bootlegging and highjacking.
  • Gang Violence

    Gang violence is on the rise in nearly every city in the United States.
  • Effects of Prohibition

    The Wall Street crash begins, ushering in the Great Depression.
  • New President

    Herbert Hoover assumes office as the President of the United States. Hoover got a bad reputation as the Great Depression began, since his laissez-faire approach to economics didn’t help relieve the situation. In his belief, capitalism could prevent any major economic downturn through a free-market economy, therefore he didn’t want the economy to be well regulated. He assumed the crash and the depression would be over quickly, and that government interference was unnecessary.
  • Prices of Stocks

    Black Thursday prompts the start of the stock market crash, which plunged the country and eventually the rest of the world into the depression. Immediately, the price of stocks drops by 11%, but with Wall Street bankers buying the stocks, only 2% was lost.
  • Unemployment Rate

    The economy would shrink by 8.5% and prices fell by 6.4%, firmly allowing inflation to sink in. The industrial production of the United States had fallen by half, and soup kitchens, bread lines and large numbers of homeless people became common in America’s cities.
  • Signed Act

    Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which raised taxes on 900 imports. It originally was supposed to help farmers but ended up imposing tariffs on hundreds of other products.
  • Food Riots and Banks Collapse

    Food riots broke out in Minneapolis.The drought continued, hitting eight Southern states the worst. It was the worst drought in the 20th century for Arkansas.
  • New President

    Democratic candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected President of the United States after defeating Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory.
  • Great Dust Storms

    Great dust storms spread from the Dust Bowl area. The drought is the worst ever in U.S. history, covering more than 75 percent of the country and affecting 27 states severely.
  • Drought Relief System

    The federal government forms a Drought Relief Service to coordinate relief activities. The DRS buys cattle in counties that are designated emergency areas, for $14 to $20 a head. Those unfit for human consumption – more than 50 percent at the beginning of the program – are destroyed. The remaining cattle are given to the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation to be used in food distribution to families nationwide.
  • Black Sunday

    Black Sunday. The worst “black blizzard” of the Dust Bowl occurs, causing extensive damage. The massive dust storm was reported to be 1000 miles long with wind speeds up to 100 miles per hour. The storm was comprised of 300,000 tons of dust. The day became known as Black Sunday.
  • Dust Bowl Ends

    In the fall of 1939, rain finally returned in significant amounts to many areas of the Great Plains, signaling the end of the Dust Bowl.
  • Civil Rights Movements

    The protests started during the late 50s early 60s and was based around the segregation of African Americans.
  • Protests

    A lot of protesting was held in the 60s. A lot of big protests were the student movement, Anti-Vietnam movement, the women's movement, and the gay rights movement.
  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    Everyone is on edge as the United States wants to launch nuclear bombs to Cuba with the USSR.
  • I Have a Dream Speech

    Martin Luther King Jr. gives his famous "I have a dream" speech while thousands listen in awe at his words. Thousands more protest this movement.
  • Start of Vietnamese Protests

    Vietnam had 2 torpedo boats attack the U.S. destroyers and President Lyndon B. Johnson attacked them right back. This didn't settle well for Americans and they wanted to stop this.
  • Civil Rights Law

    President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Movement act into Law. It states you cannot discriminate because of sex, origin, or race.
  • Martin Luther Kings Jrs. March

    Martin Luther King Jr. led a march from Selma to Montgomery Alabama. It was peaceful and changed history forever.
  • Martin Luther King Jr.

    As segregation was the major topic of talk in the 60's, a lot of people had their own opinions on the different protests and this led to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
  • Inflation

    The inflation rate was going up and up. Now, if you have 700 dollars today, it is close to 100 dollars in 1960.
  • Moon Landing

    The best thing that came from the 60's was the moon landing. The United State's Apollo 11 was the first to land on the moon. It gave everyone hope since all they had experienced in the past decade was war and terror.