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1920s Prohibition

Prohibition, a nationwide constitutional ban on selling and producing alcoholic beverages, began in the United States on January 17, 1920. This ban continued from 1920–1933. Find resources to teach your students about this time in American history in this section.  

Grades 9-12

Prohibition and Temperance

Peruse this resource about the prohibition and temperance movement in the US. Find information about the Women's Crusade against alcohol and the Women's Christian Temperance Union, contemporary opinion pieces about prohibition, and political cartoons.

Grades 6-12

Ken Burns in the Classroom

Dive into this collection that combines forty years of film history into one easy-to-use resource. Use the keyword search to find specific resources related to prohibition, or browse by era or film name to find primary sources, images, videos, and more.

Grades 8-12

American Experience

Check out “American Experience,” a PBS documentary program featuring stories about influential and exciting experiences in American history. Browse through the homepage to find images that link to the supporting information about prohibition.

Benny Goodman and American Jazz

Benny Goodman led one of the most famous music groups in America during the mid-1930s. His concert at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 1939, has been described as the most important jazz concert in history, as he led one of the first integrated jazz bands during an era of segregation. Use the resources in this section to learn about Goodman and the history of jazz.

Grades 6-12

Benny Goodman: The Official Website of The King of Swing

Goodman created an interracial band and promoted many African American musicians throughout his career. Visit the official website to learn more about Benny Goodman, including a biography, a list of achievements, quotes, and a timeline.

Grades 6-12

Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, concert Carnegie Hall 1938 restored

It is showtime! Treat your students as you go back in time and listen to a Benny Goodman concert from 1938. Spend over an hour and a half listening to Goodman's music, featuring clarinet renditions of over twenty of his greatest hits.

Grades 6-12

Jazz in America

Click on Jazz Resources to discover a rich collection of lesson plans, biographies, background information, musicology, and other jazz-related information. The content also includes some in-depth analyses of different jazz musical styles.

Grades 2-12

Smithsonian Jazz

Designed to both inspire and teach, this site offers several online instructional modules that introduce jazz's history and structural elements. Learn about composers and performers and how their work is built on the experiences of other jazz musicians.

Grades 4-12

Learn about Jazz

This companion website to the PBS film “Jazz” offers an interactive history of jazz and its evolution as part of the African American experience. Click Classrooms in the top menu to find lesson outlines and other information.

Grades 6-12

Drop Me Off in Harlem

Explore this wonderful kaleidoscope of information about Harlem from 1917–1935 that explores the artists of that time, including writers, visual artists, actors, dancers, and musicians. This site provides activities and lessons for grades 6–8 and 9–12.

This Week at TeachersFirst

Tomorrow, we pause to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We then invite you to join us for professional learning opportunities related to digital writing, including our weekly OK2Ask virtual workshop on Tuesday and our bi-monthly Twitter chat on Thursday. We’re also sharing a related blog post and kindly request your input in our weekly poll.