Times were tough during the late 1920s and the Great Depression era. There were no jobs; banks were closing and people were hungry. What’s worse? They couldn’t even legally drown their sorrows with a cold drink of alcohol!
Prohibition, as it was known, banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors in America from 1919-1933. Ratified on January 29, 1919, the 18th Amendment made it a legal piece of legislation. But, even before 1919, there was a movement under foot to ban booze, beer, wine and the lot from American society. Many thought that intoxicating drinks were the devil’s work. These evil spirits caused good men to go bad and families to shatter. One such person was Carry A. Nation. In the early 1900s, Carry felt it was her mission and a calling from God to stop people from drinking alcohol. She prayed and sang hymns in front of bars, and soon they closed. When that didn’t work, she started carrying a small hatchet, and upon entering the business, would attack the bar until patrons stopped her from the destruction.
You gotta admit, this must have gotten some attention!
Both local and federal government struggled to enforce Prohibition. The thinking behind prohibiting the creation and sale of alcohol was well intended, but the end result meant unregulated moonshine, bootleggers, speakeasies and gangsters.
Mobsters like Al Capone made an amazing $60 million annually from bootleg operations and speakeasies. That is equivalent to almost $900 million in today’s dollars!
What ended prohibition? Probably the fact that it wasn’t really working, and in the process, was helping to fuel mobster income and illegal sales. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed, and it became legal to create and distribute alcohol again.
And today, I am here in Savannah Georgia at the American Prohibition Museum. Within this museum are exhibits, galleries and many facts about a very dry period in American history. It is a great place to explore and learn about a time in history when having a drink could mean going to jail. Thanks for watching! We’ll see you next time on Stories, Secrets and Sagas.