Prohibition and the Scopes Trial

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 do not think the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling in the Scopes trial represented genuine triumphs for traditional values. The Volstead Act, causing the 18th amendment prohibiting alcohol, caused alot of crime and murder throughout the cities. People were illegally purchasing alcohol through people called bootleggers who hid liquor in their legs, and through nightclubs known as speakeasies. Al Capone was a bootlegger who took control of illegally selling liquor by killing off his competition. Overall the Volstead act badly effected traditional values, causing a more or organized crime and causing more illegal acts against the government.

The Scopes trial also did not represent genuine triumphs for traditional values. The Scopes trial caused much controversy between science and religion. One religion was being favored over another, which is against the constitution. Though Christianity was being favored. The government now passed the law that prohibited the teaching of evolution. A teacher, John T. Scopes, challenged the government and went against this. But because of this he was put on trial. I think that the Scopes Trials represent a poor choice of the government and traditional values also. The United States is all about independence, and freedom of speech. He should have had the right to say his beliefs. Overall the Scopes Trial and the Volstead Act were both examples of the Government ignoring the people and not considering how everyone has a different belief. If people are rebelling and reacting against the law illegally, then theres something that needs to be changed.