We study history in a four year rotation and this year we are in the middle of the Modern Era, aka 1850 through now. I think it's crazy how much life we speed past as we study such topics like the American Civil War and the World Wars. I'm usually not ready to stop studying a specific time period when it's time to move on but it's a four year history rotation, not a twelve year rotation so, there you go.
We just finished studying the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition. For our Monday homeschool co-op, we study history and science in five 6 week units during the school year, alternating between history and science every other unit. Each student gives an oral report one time per unit. For Michael's grade level, he presents 3-5 facts about a subject we are studying of his choice in a creative manner mostly of his choice. Practicing clear, engaging speech and eye contact are the goals here but dressing up like a character or an actual person from a particular time period is one of his specialties. Michael chose to do his co-op report on bootlegging. And he chose to dress as a bootlegger for this report. Here it is for everyone to enjoy because some day he won't want to do this anymore. At age 8, I'm pretty sure it's still okay to call him cute? No?
The report:
Sssh! I'm a
bootlegger,but I'm not supposed to trust anybody! Can I trust you?
I don't want you to go sneakin' on me to the police.
Raise your
hand if I can trust you.
Well,
whether I trust ya or not, I have to tell ya about how life is as a bootlegger.
A bootlegger is a transporter of illegal intoxicating alcoholic beverages. The date's 1926, during this darn ol'
Prohibition. Dunno' when it's going to end but all I know about it is that we
all miss alcohol.
Anyway, I
got here on my rum runnin ship, the Maryanne, bringin' Canadian whiskey from
Canada. Rather a stormy voyage, too, I do say. But that's not what I'm talking about.
Oh and by
the way, did you ever hear about the fishermen? They drove speed boats laden
with whiskey from the rum running ships to the shore, where it was loaded on
trucks driven by bootleggers. There, the
fishermen would be paid extra income for driving the boats.
Then, under
cover of night, the trucks would take the alcohol to the speakeasies. Wanna
hear some strange names for speakeasies?
They weren't
just called speakeasies, they were also called, "blind pigs",
"blind tigers", "whoopee parlors" and "gin mills"
as well as speakeasies!
If a bootlegger
wanted to carry alcohol on his own person, then he would probably hide it in
his pockets and then put on a big coat on over it. Maybe a trench coat if they
had something that fancy. They carried likker in flasks and also bottles.
And then of
course, there's the dangers of bootlegging: you could get caught and arrested
or caught in a speakeasy raid or even caught in a gunfight and killed!
Hmmm. Now
that I think about it this stuff with rum running just doesn't seem right.
I wanna
go back to obeying the law. I think I`ll be done with rum running! Instead I
think I'll ... be a singer! I`m a bootlegger no more! Well,bye! 
