The Alcohol Prohibition Era
by Krysta CardinaleIn the United States, the Prohibition Era, or “Temperance movement,” began with the ratification of the 18th Amendment on January 16, 1919. This amendment went into effect the following year, and it restricted the manufacturing, selling, exporting, importing, or transporting of any alcoholic beverage. Alcohol was the blame for a host of society’s ills, and above all crimes.
Alcoholic drinks became widely available at underground establishments, or a “speakeasy.” The speakeasy was named from the fact that people could “speak easy” and try and convince the doorman to let them in. The doorman was in charge of keeping out the police and law enforcement since they were not allowed to force-entry. Both legal and illegal home brewing became popular in homes across the United States. A small amount of wine and hard cider was allowed to be made at home. Religious establishments were still allowed to use wine in their ceremonies.
The 18th amendment banned everything but the possession and consumption of alcohol. So, if people or establishments had made purchases or made liquor before the alcohol prohibition law, they were still permitted to serve it. Bootleg liquor and the black market grew out of control during the Prohibition Era. Crime exploded with black-market booze and the gangsters who fought to control it. Men like Al Capone and Doug Schultz, built massive criminal empires on the sale of the illegal drink. By the late 1920s, the country had more alcoholics and speakeasies than it had when alcohol was legal. When corruption spread into law enforcement, even ardent prohibitionist like John D. Rockefeller Junior began to change their minds.
The 21st Amendment and the Repeal of Alcohol Prohibition
The number of repeal organizations continued to grow. There were groups that once supported the banning of alcohol, who changed their stand. An example of this would be the Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform. This group included over 1.5 million members by 1931. In 1932, the Democratic Party ran on a platform for the repeal of alcohol prohibition, and about seventy-five percent of the voters favored this.. In 1933, the state legislatures ratified the 21st Amendment to the Constitution. This repealed the 18th Amendment, and the only limitation on alcohol was based on individual states intoxication laws.
As the Alcohol Prohibition Era came to a close, so did the ethics of America’s most wanted. When Al Capone was arrested and jailed, much of the criminal underworld collapsed. Gangsters like Legs Diamond and others found out that saloons weren't the only bars to make a comeback. The feds ended the careers of these gangsters one way or another. With one swipe of his pen, new president Franklin Roosevelt ended the days of bathtub gin speakeasies and gangsters. But not everyone was happy, especially preacher Billy Sunday.
Billy Sunday: “I'll fight the saloon. I'll kick it as long as I have a foot. I'll punch it as long as I have a fist. I'll butt it as long as I have a head. I'll bite it as long as I have a tooth, and when I'm old and fist-less and footless and toothless, I'll go at it till I go home to heaven.”
By 1966, all of the states in the US had fully repealed all of their alcohol prohibition laws. However, even today there are hundreds of counties in the United States that have “dry” laws, and maintain the ban of alcohol. About 18 million Americans are still subject to these restrictions on alcoholic beverages.
