Lena Savoie
Alcohol has officially been banned in the US more than once. The Eighteenth Amendment, also known as the Volstead Act, prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol from 1920 to 1933. However, it did not outlaw the possession or consumption of alcohol, and many Americans continued to drink during this time. The drive to outlaw alcohol in the US began in the 1850s, with temperance movements and anti-saloon leagues gaining momentum. The first official alcohol ban was in 1918, and the Prohibition movement, also known as the dry crusade, continued to gain support in the following decades, with additional bans enacted during World War I to conserve grain. While Prohibition was intended to reduce alcohol consumption and its associated social issues, it ultimately failed to achieve lasting change and contributed to the rise of organized crime and illegal distribution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of times alcohol was banned in the US | 1 |
| First official alcohol ban | 1918 |
| Prohibition | 1920-1933 |
| US Constitutional Amendment banning alcohol | 18th Amendment |
| US Constitutional Amendment overturning Prohibition | 21st Amendment |
| Year drinking became legal again in the US | 1933 |
| Number of US states with local laws prohibiting alcohol sales in certain areas | 30 |
| Number of US cities, townships and counties with laws regulating alcohol sales | >500 |
| US President who ended Prohibition | Franklin Roosevelt |
| Number of times prohibition activist Carrie Nation was arrested | 30 |
| First US state to outlaw alcoholic beverages in its Constitution | Kansas |
| Year | 1881 |
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What You'll Learn
The Eighteenth Amendment
Alcohol was banned once in the US, through the Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) to the United States Constitution. Proposed by Congress in December 1917 and ratified in January 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating beverages.
The amendment was enforced by the Volstead Act, passed shortly after ratification, which set the starting date for nationwide prohibition as January 17, 1920. The act also empowered the federal government to police individual social habits and morality, a role traditionally held by state and local governments.
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Temperance movements
The Temperance Movement was a social movement that promoted temperance and total abstinence from alcohol consumption. The movement's leaders emphasized alcohol's negative effects on people's health, personalities, and family lives. It began at a national level in the US in the 1820s, popularized by evangelical reformers and the middle classes. The movement advocated for moral reform and good citizenship, with a focus on advice against hard spirits rather than total abstinence from alcohol.
The earliest temperance organizations were founded in Saratoga, New York, in 1808, and in Massachusetts in 1813, with the formation of the Massachusetts Society for the Suppression of Intemperance (MSSI). The MSSI accepted only men of high social standing and encouraged moderation in alcohol consumption. By 1833, there were 6,000 local societies in several US states. The American Temperance Society (ATS), formed in 1826, helped initiate the first temperance movement and served as a foundation for many later groups. By 1835, the ATS had reached 1.5 million members, with women constituting 35-60% of its chapters.
The movement gained momentum in the mid-19th century, with the emergence of the Second Great Awakening, a religious revival that emphasized the pursuit of a perfect society. The temperance movement diversified and fragmented, with fierce debates about its tactics and purposes. In 1836, radicals pushed for and won a ban on all alcoholic beverages, marking a shift from the traditional exemption of beer and wine as "temperance drinks".
The late 19th century saw the movement broaden its focus to include all behaviors and institutions related to alcohol consumption. Preachers linked liquor-dispensing saloons with political corruption. The prohibition movement, also known as the "dry crusade", was spearheaded by religious denominations, particularly the Methodists. The movement's efforts led to the Maine law, adopted in 1851, which banned the manufacture and sale of liquor.
The first international temperance organization was the Order of Good Templars, formed in 1851 in Utica, New York. The movement spread internationally, including to Canada, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Australasia, India, parts of Africa, and South America. In 1909, a world prohibition conference in London resulted in the foundation of an International Prohibition Confederation. The National Woman's Christian Temperance Union, founded in 1874, played a significant role in the movement, with women using temperance as a method of entering politics and advocating for progressive issues such as prison reform and labor laws.
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Speakeasies and bootlegging
The United States' Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, saw the rise of speakeasies and bootlegging. The Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which was passed in 1919 and enforced by the Volstead Act, banned the production and sale of alcohol in the country. This led to the emergence of speakeasies, which were secret bars or nightclubs that served alcohol illegally. The exact origin of the term "speakeasy" is unknown, but it is believed to have come from the need for patrons to whisper or "speak easy" when seeking entry through peepholes in the front doors of these establishments. Speakeasies were often run by organized criminal gangs, who exploited low-paid police officers and provided them with payoffs to avoid detection.
Bootlegging refers to the illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor. Bootleggers would often dilute good whiskey, gin, and other liquors with water to increase their profits. They also sold dangerous substances such as "Smoke," which was made of pure wood alcohol and killed or maimed thousands of drinkers. To disguise the taste of poorly made liquor, speakeasies would mix it with ginger ale, Coca-Cola, sugar, mint, lemon, fruit juices, and other flavourings, thus creating the "cocktail."
Bootlegging and speakeasies were a widespread phenomenon during the Prohibition era. Tens of thousands of speakeasies popped up across the country, and bootleggers supplied them with alcohol through creative means. For example, bootleggers would hide liquor in vehicles, such as in hollow walking canes or flasks disguised as books. They also set up stills in rural areas and forced local farmers to run them, often with the collusion of county sheriffs.
The rise of bootlegging and speakeasies led to an increase in organized crime and violence. Criminal gangs fought turf wars over the lucrative alcohol trade, and infamous mobsters such as Al Capone enriched themselves through bootlegging operations. As the market price of illegal liquor increased, so did the profits for organized crime, leading to more violence. Eventually, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929, in which a group of mobsters working for Al Capone gunned down seven men, shocked the country and turned public opinion against Prohibition.
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Crime and violence
The Temperance movement, which began in the early 1800s, popularized the belief that alcohol was the major cause of most personal and social problems, including crime and violence. The movement's supporters believed that prohibition would solve these issues. The Eighteenth Amendment, which came into force in 1920, prohibited the sale, manufacture, and distribution of alcohol in the United States. However, it did not ban the consumption of alcohol outright.
While there was an initial reduction in crimes associated with drunkenness, the prohibition era ultimately saw a rise in crime and violence. With the production and sale of alcohol driven underground, it was increasingly controlled by criminal gangs, including the Mafia, who transformed into sophisticated criminal enterprises. These organized-crime syndicates became skilled at bribing police and politicians to overlook violations of Prohibition. Chicago's Al Capone, for example, earned an estimated $60 million annually from his bootlegging and speakeasy operations. Gambling and prostitution also reached new heights.
The number of criminals involved in bootlegging outnumbered federal agents, and the prisons became crowded. A study of more than 30 major U.S. cities during the Prohibition years of 1920 and 1921 found that the number of crimes increased by 24%. Theft and burglaries increased by 9%, homicides by 13%, assaults and battery rose by 13%, and drug addiction by 45%. This was largely the result of "black-market violence" and the diversion of law enforcement resources elsewhere.
The homicide rate increased from six per 100,000 population in the pre-Prohibition period to nearly ten. The murder rate fell for the first two years of Prohibition but then rose to record highs due to gangland killings, a trend that reversed in the year Prohibition ended. Despite the Prohibition movement's hope that outlawing alcohol would reduce crime, the reality was that the Volstead Act led to higher crime rates than were experienced before Prohibition.
The failure of Prohibition to reduce crime and violence was one of the reasons it was repealed in 1933.
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Prohibition's repeal
Alcohol prohibition in the United States was repealed through the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 5, 1933. The Eighteenth Amendment, which had established a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol, was ratified in 1919 and enforced from 1920.
The immediate impact of prohibition appeared positive, with an overall decline in crimes related to alcohol consumption in the early 1920s. However, as the decade progressed, illegal alcohol production increased to meet rising demand, and prices for illicit beverages decreased. The illegal alcohol industry also fostered the growth of organised crime, with notorious figures such as Al Capone capitalising on the underground market.
Public sentiment towards prohibition gradually shifted from positive to negative. Activists like Pauline Sabin, who founded the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR), argued that repeal would protect families from the corruption, violent crime, and widespread illegal drinking associated with prohibition. The WONPR's membership grew to an estimated 1.5 million by the time repeal was passed in 1933, attracting women from various social classes.
The movement to repeal prohibition also gained support from influential leaders, including John D. Rockefeller Jr., who had previously supported prohibition. The demand for repeal was further fuelled by the Great Depression, as the prospect of new jobs and tax revenue from legalised alcohol became increasingly appealing.
On February 20, 1933, Congress proposed a new amendment to end prohibition, and it was ratified on December 5, 1933, marking the official repeal of nationwide alcohol prohibition in the United States.
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Frequently asked questions
Alcohol was banned once in the US, from 1920 to 1933. This period is known as the Prohibition Era.
The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution banned the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. However, it was still legal to drink alcohol, and it was widely available through illegal channels.
The drive to outlaw alcohol in the US began in the 1850s. The movement was led by religious groups, particularly the Methodists, and women who were affected by alcohol-induced domestic violence and child abandonment. The American Temperance Society (ATS), formed in 1826, helped initiate the first temperance movement.
The 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th Amendment and ended Prohibition, was passed due to various reasons. Prohibition was difficult to enforce, and illegal distribution was rampant. It also negatively impacted domestic industries as people crossed national borders to drink. The Great Depression, which started in 1929, created a need for new government revenue sources.
