Prohibition: Years, Amendment and Definition | HISTORY

Origins of Prohibition

In the 1820s and ’30s, a wave of religious revivalism swept the United States, leading to increased calls for temperance, as well as other “perfectionist” movements such as the abolitionist movement to end slavery.

In 1838, the state of Massachusetts passed a temperance law banning the sale of spirits in less than 15-gallon quantities; though the law was repealed two years later, it set a precedent for such legislation. Maine passed the first state prohibition laws in 1846, followed by a stricter law in 1851. A number of other states had followed suit by the time the Civil War began in 1861..

Did you know? In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated the incumbent President Herbert Hoover, who once called Prohibition "the great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far reaching in purpose." Some say FDR celebrated the repeal of Prohibition by enjoying a dirty martini, his preferred drink.

By the turn of the century, temperance societies like the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) were a common fixture in communities across the United States. Women played a strong role in the temperance movement, as alcohol was seen as a destructive force in families and marriages.

In 1906, a new wave of attacks began on the sale of liquor, led by the Anti-Saloon League (established in 1893) and driven by a reaction to urban growth, as well as the rise of evangelical Protestantism and its view of saloon culture as corrupt and ungodly.

In addition, many factory owners during the Industrial Revolution supported prohibition in their desire to prevent accidents and increase the efficiency of their workers in an era of increased industrial production and extended working hours.

READ MORE: See All the Crafty Ways Americans Hid Alcohol During Prohibition

Prohibition was more popular in rural areas than in cities, which saw a proliferation of secret saloons and nightclubs called “speakeasies.” The exact origin of the term is unknown, but it may have come from the need for prospective patrons seeking entry to whisper—or “speak easy”—through peepholes in the front doors of the illegal establishment, such as the one in this photograph from the 1930s.

This image shows law enforcement agents dismantling the bar inside a speakeasy that had been raided in Camden, New Jersey

Moonshiners working outdoors in rural areas of the country devised a clever method to cover their tracks—literally. In order to evade Prohibition agents, moonshiners attached to their shoes wooden blocks carved to resemble cow hooves. That way, any footprints left behind would appear to be bovine, not human, and not attract suspicion. This photograph shows one such “cow shoe” seized by the police.

Americans who continued to consume alcohol during Prohibition had to find creative ways to hide their booze. In this photograph, a woman demonstrates a faux book that was used to conceal a liquor flask.

As this 1932 photograph shows, home furnishings such as lamps were also adapted into hiding spots for alcohol bottles.

The left side of this 1928 image depicts a woman wearing a large overcoat that would attract no notice. When the overcoat is removed for the image on the right, it reveals the woman has strapped to her thighs two large tins used for transporting alcohol.

Some wily drinkers even incorporated their secret hooch hiding spots into their fashion sense. This 1922 portrait depicts a woman seated at a Washington, D.C., soda fountain table, as she pours alcohol from her cane into a cup.

The Treasury Department initially had the responsibility for enforcing Prohibition before it was transferred to the Justice Department. In this photograph, law enforcement agents examine a trove of 191 pint bottles that were discovered hidden underneath a sailor’s mattress on a steamer that docked in Norfolk, Virginia.

The illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor, known as “bootlegging,” occurred on a large scale across the United States. Bootleggers relied on creative ways to hide their shipments. This 1926 photograph taken in Los Angeles shows what appeared to be a truckload of lumber. When federal agents approached the vehicle, however, they smelled the odor of alcohol and discovered a cleverly concealed trapdoor that led to the interior in which 70 cases of prime scotch were hidden.

Bootleggers sometimes ran extensive operations out of their houses. This 1930 photograph shows policemen examining liquor bottles after a raid on the Long Beach, New York, home of Eugene Shine. Inside they discovered $20,000 worth of booze.

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Volstead Act

In 1917, after the United States entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson instituted a temporary wartime prohibition in order to save grain for producing food. That same year, Congress submitted the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors, for state ratification. Though Congress had stipulated a seven-year time limit for the process, the amendment received the support of the necessary three-quarters of U.S. states in just 11 months.

Ratified on January 16, 1919, the 18th Amendment went into effect one year later, by which time no fewer than 33 states had already enacted their own prohibition legislation. In October 1919, Congress put forth the National Prohibition Act, which provided guidelines for the federal enforcement of Prohibition. Championed by Representative Andrew Volstead of Minnesota, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the legislation was more commonly known as the Volstead Act.

Enforcement of Prohibition

Both federal and local government struggled to enforce Prohibition—Hoover’s “noble experiment”—over the course of the 1920s. Enforcement was initially assigned to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and was later transferred to the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prohibition, or Prohibition Bureau.

In general, Prohibition was enforced much more strongly in areas where the population was sympathetic to the legislation–mainly rural areas and small towns–and much more loosely in urban areas. Despite very early signs of success, including a decline in arrests for drunkenness and a reported 30 percent drop in alcohol consumption, those who wanted to keep drinking found ever-more inventive ways to do it.

al capone, alphonse capone, scarface, organized crime, chicago, 1920s, gambling rackets, bootlegging — Alphonse "Scarface" Capone (1899-1947) controlled organized crime in Chicago during the late 1920s. From gambling rackets to bootlegging, it is estimated that Capone's enterprises netted him close to $100,000,000 during his career.

1910, prohibition, prohibition post card, ban on alcohol, 1919, u.s. government, 1933, al capone, bootlegging operations — Printed in 1910, this postcard encourages citizens to support a ban on alcohol. Officially adopted by the US government in 1919, prohibition was repealed in 1933. During this 14-year period, many gangsters organized bootlegging operations.

prohibition, anti-prohibition, anti-prohibition buttons, ban on alcohol, 1919, u.s. government, 1933, al capone, bootlegging operations — These two anti-prohibition buttons reflect the sentiments of many who opposed the ban on the sale of alcohol from 1919-1933.

prohibition, anti-prohibition, ban on alcohol, 1919, u.s. government, 1933, al capone, bootlegging operations, police emptying kegs, authorities emptying beer — Authorities empty barrels of beer into the sewers during prohibition (1919-1933).

prohibition, anti-prohibition, ban on alcohol, 1929, u.s. government, al capone, bootlegging operations, rival bootleggers, chicago, massacre, 1920s, St. Valentine's Day Massacre — On February 14, 1929, members of Al Capone's gang executed several rival bootleggers in a Chicago garage. This so-called "massacre" symbolized the violence that was prevalent in 1920s Chicago.

prohibition, anti-prohibition, ban on alcohol, u.s. government, al capone, bootlegging operations, chicago, 1920s, eliot ness, law enforcement team, the untouchables — Eliot Ness (1903-1957, photographed in 1937) was appointed head of a nine-man law enforcement team created to investigate and disrupt Al Capone's operation. All nine men were young and could not be bribed, thus they became known as the "Untouchables."

prohibition, anti-prohibition, ban on alcohol, u.s. government, al capone, bootlegging operations, chicago, 1920s, 1929, philadelphia's eastern state penitentiary, al capone's prison cell — Arrested in 1929 on minor charges, Capone spent several months in this comfortable cell at Philadephia's Eastern State Penitentiary.

al capone, alphonse capone, scarface, organized crime, chicago, 1920s, gambling rackets, bootlegging, al capone's mugshot, al capone's arrest, 1931 — These mug shots were taken by the Chicago police after Capone's arrest in 1931.

alcatraz — In 1931, Capone was convicted of tax-evasion and sentenced to eleven years in prison. In 1934, he was transferred to Alcatraz.

al capone, alphonse capone, scarface, organized crime, chicago, 1920s, gambling rackets, bootlegging, famous gangster, al capone movie poster, rod steiger — Even after his death in 1947, Capone remained one the most famous gangsters in the United States. This movie poster comes from the 1959 movie "Al Capone", in which actor Rod Steiger played the leading role.

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Organized Crime

The illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor (known as “bootlegging”) went on throughout the decade, along with the operation of “speakeasies” (stores or nightclubs selling alcohol), the smuggling of alcohol across state lines and the informal production of liquor (“moonshine” or “bathtub gin”) in private homes.

In addition, the Prohibition era encouraged the rise of criminal activity associated with bootlegging. The most notorious example was the Chicago gangster Al Capone, who earned a staggering $60 million annually from bootleg operations and speakeasies.

Such illegal operations fueled a corresponding rise in gang violence, including the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929, in which several men dressed as policemen (and believed to be have associated with Capone) shot and killed a group of men in an enemy gang.

When Did Prohibition End?

The high price of bootleg liquor meant that the nation’s working class and poor were far more restricted during Prohibition than middle or upper class Americans. Even as costs for law enforcement, jails and prisons spiraled upward, support for Prohibition was waning by the end of the Roaring Twenties. In addition, fundamentalist and nativist forces had gained more control over the temperance movement, alienating its more moderate members.

There were also many unintended consequences of Prohibition: Some cash-strapped restaurants shuttered their doors, since they could no longer make a profit from liquor sales. Thousands of people died each year from drinking cheap moonshine tainted with toxins. And revenues shrank for many states that had previously relied on liquor taxes to fund roads, schools and other public benefits.

With the country mired in the Great Depression by 1932, creating jobs and revenue by legalizing the liquor industry had an undeniable appeal. Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for president that year on a platform calling for Prohibition’s repeal, and easily won victory over the incumbent President Herbert Hoover.

FDR’s victory meant the end for Prohibition, and in February 1933 Congress adopted a resolution proposing a 21st Amendment to the Constitution that would repeal the 18th. The amendment was submitted to the states, and in December 1933 Utah provided the 36th and final necessary vote for ratification. Though a few states continued to prohibit alcohol after Prohibition’s end, all had abandoned the ban by 1966.

READ MORE: The Night Prohibition Ended

Sources

Prohibition: A Case Study of Progressive Reform. Library of Congress.
Unintended Consequences of Prohibition. PBS: Prohibition.
Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure. Cato Institute.

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