The 1928 presidential election between incumbent Herbert Hoover and Al Smith, Governor of New York, was one of the dirtiest in history. Smith was the first candidate to run a national campaign that was critical of Prohibition. He was an unapologetic wet, while Hoover favored the law and supported the dries. 

Learning Objectives:

Students will:

• Analyze the fight between the “wets” and the “dries;”
• Understand how the inflexibility of the “dries” lead to the ending of Prohibition;
• Understand and analyze how the fight over Prohibition began to change into a fight between rural and urban areas. (Mentioning religion and immigrants.)