The Great Gatsby and Prohibition Laws and Speakeasies

Prohibition Law Enforcement
1. Poor law enforcement
  1. In Great Gatsby, Gatsby used a 'white card' to get out of a police ticket
Bootlegging
1. Common crime during the prohibition which involved the smuggling of alcoholic products into the US.
  1. In the novel, Gatsby is suspected of bootlegging as he attends to business calls at strange hours
Speakeasies
1. These are illegal bars that were set up secretly during the prohibition to sell and profit from alcohol that was'bootlegged'.
  1. Nick meets Meyer Wolfsheim, one of Gatsby's business partners, at a speakeasy where alcohol flows freely.
Crime
1. Originally put in place to reduce drinking-related crimes, the overall crime rate climbed as a result of prohibition
  1. Gatsby worked in an organized crime organization, which benefited in profits from the selling of prohibited alcohol.
Backfire of Prohibition
1. Americans were actually drinking more during the prohibition era than they were before.
  1. In Gatsby's parties, 'alcohol flowed freely' and many people got drunk and went wild in his mansion.

Resource summary

	Created by Nicholas S about 8 years ago