What was Prohibition?
“Prohibition” refers to a period in United States history during the 1920s when the sale of alcohol was prohibited by the Eighteenth Amendment and the National Prohibition Act in an attempt at governmental control of social mores. The movement was referred to by President Herbert Hoover as the “Noble Experiment.” Alcohol consumption and saloon culture was viewed as corrupt and immoral, an idea fueled by the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and other similar organizations.
The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1919, banned the production, sale, and import of intoxicating liquors in the United States. The National Prohibition Act, or the Volstead Act, defined the meaning of “intoxicating liquors” as any drink with more than 0.5% alcohol. The Act also allowed for enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment by both Federal and State governments. Woodrow Wilson, who was President of the United States at this time, vetoed the National Prohibition Act, but his veto was quickly overridden by congress. In January of 1920 the ban on alcohol was put into effect, forcing every bar and saloon to close.
The movement toward Prohibition began during a period of religious revivalism in the early 1800s, along with the temperance movement, which pushed for changes in laws to reduce alcohol consumption. Maine was the first state to enact a law prohibiting the sale of alcohol in 1851, but protests and riots from the citizens pushed the state to repeal the law in 1856. A temporary ban on the manufacture of alcohol was enacted during World War I, so that all grain would be used in food production. These bans opened the door/paved the way for the Eighteenth Amendment.
What were the effects of Prohibition?
Those in favor of the ban believed it would reduce crime, solve social problems, protect families, and help promote Protestant values. What actually happened was the exact opposite.
Because prohibition was more strictly enforced in places where the law was supported (rural communities), enforcement was more difficult and looser in large cities. Prescriptions for whiskey could be easily obtained for medical purposes from doctors. People began to find places to gather to drink, discovering creative ways of buying alcohol or making it at home. This homemade liquor became known as “moonshine” because of the way it was made and sold illegally, usually at night. Those who smuggled alcohol into the country illegally were called bootleggers, in reference to a flask filled with liquor stashed in a boot.
Prohibition ultimately encouraged illegal activity in general, as people who were not normally inclined to break the law began to see laws as arbitrary. More women drank during Prohibition than ever before, with the evolution of the flapper, or New Woman.
Prohibition also helped fund organized crime, leading to the rise of Al Capone and other gangsters in Chicago. Gangsters profited from bootlegging and running speakeasies, and began to live extravagant lifestyles. Capone’s mob, known as “The Chicago Outfit” eventually controlled nearly all speakeasies in Chicago. Turf-wars between rival gangs caused violence in Chicago to rise dramatically, culminating in the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929.
What is a speakeasy?
Speakeasies were underground bars that illegally served alcohol, or allowed people to bring their own liquor, that were established around the country, especially in large cities like New York City and Chicago. The secretive nature of these establishments earned them the name “speakeasy,” as patrons were told to “speak easy,” or quietly, when they were inside, so they wouldn’t be heard. Though they were necessarily secret operations, many speakeasies were well known, high-class establishments.
When did Prohibition end?
Prohibition ended during the Great Depression, when the government realized that the production and sale legalized liquor would help create jobs and raise revenue. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was repealed December 5, 1933 with the Twenty-first Amendment. Some states continued their own prohibition laws for many years, some so recent as 1966. Today, there are still “Dry Counties” whose governments prohibit the sale of alcohol around the United States, though they are primarily located in the South.
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