The Great Experiment: Prohibition (Grades 9–12 U.S. History)

Bring the Roaring Twenties to life with this exciting and fully resourced series of lessons exploring the dramatic story of Prohibition in the United States — from its idealistic beginnings to its chaotic downfall.

This three-lesson bundle takes students on a chronological journey through one of America’s most fascinating social experiments:

Lesson 1 – Why Was Prohibition Introduced?

Students investigate the powerful social, political, and religious movements that pushed for a nationwide alcohol ban, including the roles of the Anti-Saloon League, women’s reform groups, and industrialists like Henry Ford.

Lesson 2 – The Impact of Prohibition

Learners examine how the “noble experiment” transformed American life, from secret speakeasies and moonshine stills to the rise of organised crime and corruption within law enforcement.

Lesson 3 – Why Prohibition Failed?

Students uncover how bootleggers, gangsters such as Al Capone, and changing public attitudes brought about the collapse of Prohibition by 1933.

Each lesson includes a detailed PowerPoint presentation and an accompanying student worksheet, with everything you need to teach straight away. All resources are provided in Microsoft Office and PDF formats, making them fully editable and ready to print.

The PowerPoints feature:

Clear aims and differentiated learning objectives

Engaging starter, mini-plenary, and plenary activities

Source analysis and thinking skills tasks

Exam-style questions from Oxford and Cambridge past papers, complete with model answers and mark schemes

Designed for core and foundation students studying Grades 9–12 U.S. History classes.

Whether you’re introducing students to the temperance movement or helping them analyse why Prohibition collapsed, this bundle provides an engaging, flexible, and classroom-tested way to explore how America’s attempt to go “dry” changed the nation forever.

Themes covered:

The Temperance Movement and 18th Amendment

Women’s activism and moral reform

Speakeasies, bootlegging, and organised crime

Law enforcement and corruption

Why Prohibition failed?

Al - Capone - Businessman or Gangster?

If you enjoy this resource, check out other 1920s America lessons in The History Academy TES shop, or follow The History Academy on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook for updates, ideas, and new materials.

Roy — The History Academy