The Rise & Fall of Prohibition in the USA

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

This three-lesson bundle takes students on a clear and accessible journey through one of the most fascinating social experiments in modern history:

Lesson 1 – Why Was Prohibition Introduced?

Students investigate the powerful social, political and religious forces that drove the campaign for a nationwide alcohol ban, including the influence of the Anti-Saloon League, women’s reform movements and industrialists such as Henry Ford.

Lesson 2 – The Impact of Prohibition

Learners explore how this ‘noble experiment’ affected everyday life in 1920s America — from the rise of speakeasies and bootlegging to the spread of organised crime and corruption within law enforcement.

Lesson 3 – Why Did Prohibition Fail?

Students examine how figures such as Al Capone, weak enforcement and changing public attitudes led to the downfall of Prohibition by 1933.

Each lesson comes with a PowerPoint presentation and a comprehensive worksheet, both provided in Microsoft Office and PDF formats for maximum flexibility.

The PowerPoints include:

Clear aims and differentiated learning objectives

Engaging starters, mini-plenaries and plenaries

A range of source-based and thinking skills activities

These lessons are designed for core and foundation GCSE History students studying topics such as “America, 1920–1973: Opportunity and Inequality”, but are also easily adaptable for Key Stage 3 classes learning about 1920s America.

Whether you’re introducing the temperance movement or helping students evaluate the reasons for Prohibition’s failure, this bundle provides a ready-to-use, engaging and classroom-tested way to teach this fascinating period of American history.

Themes covered:

The Temperance Movement and 18th Amendment

Women’s activism and moral reform

Speakeasies, bootlegging and organised crime

Law enforcement and corruption

Why did Prohibition fail?

Al Capone - Businessman or Gangster?

If you enjoy this resource, why not explore other 1920s America lessons in The History Academy TES shop? You can also follow The History Academy on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook for updates, teaching ideas and new materials.

Kind Regards

Roy — The History Academy