Why teach this?
Prohibition, not exactly the central theme for a winning TV or movie series or genre. However, the
rings of organized crime that were birthed in response to the conservative move for prohibition are
a different story. There are literally hundreds of classic and new films revolving around the idea of
organized crime and, more specifically, the Mafia. Students will love to learn about the roots of these
infamous groups.
Prohibition, not exactly the central theme for a winning TV or movie series or genre. However, the
rings of organized crime that were birthed in response to the conservative move for prohibition are
a different story. There are literally hundreds of classic and new films revolving around the idea of
organized crime and, more specifically, the Mafia. Students will love to learn about the roots of these
infamous groups.
Resources:
http://gangster-movies.com/
http://www.wright.edu/~martin.kich/Murder/OCFilm.htm
These are two websites that list popular and classic films that revolve around the Mafia or other crime
rings.
http://www-tc.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/media/pdf/politics_of_prohibition.pdf
This 7-12th grade lesson plan highlights the hyper-partisan atmosphere of the prohibition era and
encourages students to look for similarities in the elections of today.
http://www-tc.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/media/pdf/roots_of_prohibition.pdf
This 9-12th grade lesson plan analyzes attempts by the government to monitor and restrict its
poplulation’s behavior. It also takes a deep look at the importance of alcohol to the American culture
and the benefits and drawbacks of the strong presence that alcohol has.
http://www-tc.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/media/pdf/immigration_and_prohibition.pdf
This 7-12th grade lesson plan draws attention to the connection between the concerns of the American
people about immigration and how that tied into Prohibition. It allows students to see both sides of the
debates of the time and to form their own arguments and opinions.
http://www.polk-fl.net/staff/teachers/tah/documents/MicrosoftWord-RobertsonProhibitionlesson.pdf
This 8-11th grade US History lesson plan uses political cartoons of the time to paint a picture of the
attitudes toward Prohibition on either side of the debate.