Arielle Cruz
The 1920s was a time when the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the United States. Despite this, alcohol was still distributed and consumed through various means, including illegal bars called speakeasies or blind pigs, private parties, and the purchase of alcohol from licensed druggists for medicinal purposes or from clergymen for religious reasons. The distribution and consumption of alcohol during the 1920s, often referred to as the Roaring Twenties, had a significant impact on American social life and contributed to the growth of organized crime and the emergence of jazz music and dating culture.
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What You'll Learn
Bootlegging and the rise of organised crime
The 1920s, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a period of booming organised crime in the United States. The Eighteenth Amendment, which came into force in 1920, prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. This period, known as Prohibition, created a high demand for illicit alcohol, giving rise to bootlegging and organised crime.
Bootlegging, the illegal manufacture, transport, distribution, or sale of alcoholic beverages, became a lucrative business for gangsters during Prohibition. They smuggled foreign-made liquor into the United States from countries like Cuba and the Bahamas and sold it to thousands of speakeasies—illegal bars where people could consume alcohol. Bootleggers also supplied alcohol to private citizens, who had to buy liquor from licensed druggists for "medicinal" purposes, clergymen for "religious" reasons, or illegal sellers.
The bootlegging business became so extensive that it required a more structured organisation. Mobsters hired accountants, brewers, lawyers, and rum-running boat captains to facilitate their operations. They bribed policemen, witnesses, and even FBI agents to turn a blind eye to their activities. Bootleggers also built secret storage spaces and used passwords and membership cards to control access to speakeasies.
The competition for control of the lucrative liquor market led to the rise of powerful criminal gangs and gang wars. New York became the centre of organised crime, with bosses like Salvatore Maranzano, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and Frank Costello. Al Capone, the leader of the Chicago Outfit, made an estimated $60 million a year supplying illegal alcohol to thousands of speakeasies.
The enforcement of Prohibition had significant economic and social consequences. It led to increased resource costs for the government, with the annual budget of the Bureau of Prohibition rising from $4.4 million to $13.4 million during the 1920s. It also disproportionately impacted African Americans, immigrants, and poor whites, as law enforcement used alcohol prohibition against these communities.
By the end of the 1920s, there was a growing opposition to Prohibition. Many believed that it lowered tax revenue, especially during the Great Depression, and imposed "rural" Protestant religious values on "urban" America. The failure of Prohibition to curb alcohol consumption and the rise of organised crime led to the eventual repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1933, ending Prohibition.
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Speakeasies
The term "speakeasy" originated from the need for secrecy; customers were asked to speak quietly while inside to avoid attracting attention to the prohibited act of buying alcohol. Speakeasies were often set up by criminals, such as the infamous Al Capone, who controlled thousands of speakeasies in the late 1920s. At the height of Prohibition, there were an estimated 20,000 to 100,000 speakeasies in New York City alone, with 32,000 in the city proper.
To gain entry to a speakeasy, a password, specific handshake, or secret knock was often required. Some speakeasies even issued membership cards to identify members. Once inside, customers could purchase alcoholic beverages that were often diluted with water or mixed with other ingredients to hide the taste of poorly distilled liquor. Speakeasies contributed to the rise of organised crime and the popularity of jazz music and dancing in the 1920s.
The social dynamics of speakeasies were also notable, as they allowed for interactions between people of different races, ethnicities, genders, and socioeconomic statuses. Women, in particular, benefited from the social and liberal changes brought about by speakeasies. Before Prohibition, women were not commonly allowed to consume alcohol in public, especially in the company of men. Speakeasies provided women with access to alcohol and a space to socialise and dance with men, giving rise to the "Flapper" culture of the 1920s.
The prevalence of speakeasies, the brutality of organised criminal gangs, and the economic impact of Prohibition eventually led to a nationwide opposition to the policy. The Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, was ratified in 1933, bringing an end to Prohibition and causing speakeasies to largely disappear.
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Loopholes in anti-liquor laws
The Prohibition era in the United States, lasting from 1920 to 1933, witnessed a range of creative approaches to obtaining and distributing alcohol despite the legal ban. Here are some of the loopholes in the anti-liquor laws that led to a thriving black market and the emergence of organised crime syndicates:
Medicinal Purposes
One of the most well-known loopholes in the Prohibition laws was the allowance for medicinal use of alcohol. Pharmacists were permitted to dispense whiskey and other alcoholic beverages by prescription for various ailments, from anxiety to influenza. Bootleggers took advantage of this exception and set up pharmacies as fronts for their illegal operations. Physicians wrote an estimated 11 million prescriptions per year during the 1920s, and it was not uncommon for doctors to sell signed prescription forms to bootleggers. Drugstores became a lucrative source of alcohol, with some companies, like Walgreens, expanding rapidly during this time due to medicinal alcohol sales.
Religious Use
Another loophole in the anti-liquor laws was the exemption for religious use. Americans were allowed to obtain wine for religious ceremonies and practices. This led to an increase in the number of self-professed rabbis and rising enrollments at churches and synagogues, as religious leaders could legally acquire wine for their congregations.
Home Brewing and Distilling
While home stills were technically illegal, the enforcement of this aspect of the law was challenging. Americans could purchase home stills at hardware stores and even find instructions for distilling in public libraries, with pamphlets issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The American grape industry also contributed to this loophole by selling juice concentrate kits with warnings not to let them sit too long, or they would ferment and turn into wine.
Industrial Alcohol Diversion
Bootleggers also took advantage of the fact that certain industries were permitted to use denatured alcohol, which had been mixed with noxious chemicals to make it unfit for consumption. Millions of gallons of this industrial alcohol were diverted, "washed" of the toxic additives, diluted with water, and sometimes mixed with a dash of genuine liquor for flavour. While this process removed some of the harmful substances, it was not possible to eliminate all the poisonous components. As a result, thousands of drinkers suffered illness, blindness, or death from consuming this tainted liquor.
Speakeasies and Illegal Bars
Private bars and speakeasies became prevalent during Prohibition, serving watered-down liquor or moonshine to their patrons. These establishments went to great lengths to hide their liquor stashes from the police and federal agents, even employing architects to create secret compartments and camouflaged doors. At the height of Prohibition in the late 1920s, there were 32,000 speakeasies in New York City alone, contributing to the rise of organised crime bosses like Salvatore Maranzano and Charles "Lucky" Luciano.
The loopholes in the anti-liquor laws of the 1920s were numerous, and Americans intent on drinking found creative ways to access alcohol. While some took advantage of legal exceptions, others turned to illegal methods, fuelling the growth of a robust black market and powerful criminal enterprises.
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Alcohol as medicine
During the Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the United States. However, alcohol was still distributed illegally through bootleggers and speakeasies, and it was also available for "medicinal" purposes with a doctor's prescription.
The use of alcohol as medicine has a long history, dating back to ancient times. Even after the enactment of Prohibition, alcohol could still be obtained legally for medicinal purposes with a doctor's prescription. Physicians wrote an estimated 11 million prescriptions a year throughout the 1920s, and drug stores became a common place to purchase alcohol. One doctor in Massachusetts in 1925 prescribed whiskey with a dosage of "a tablespoon as needed". Under federal law, these prescriptions could not be refilled and were only prescribed one at a time.
Alcohol was also an ingredient in many patent medicines, which were easily accessible and affordable alternatives to medical care by doctors, especially for those in rural areas. Patent medicines were often marketed as cures for a wide range of ailments, including headaches, pain, nervous affectations, and menstrual disturbances. While they may have provided temporary relief, this was often due to the presence of alcohol and other drugs such as opiates in these concoctions.
In addition to patent medicines, alcohol-based medicinal tonics such as Jamaica Ginger were also obtainable legally during Prohibition. Jamaica Ginger, often called "Ginger Jake", had been used as a remedy for stomach ailments, colds, and malaria since the 1860s. However, during Prohibition, manufacturers were required to add bittering agents to discourage people from drinking it recreationally.
While alcohol was allowed for medicinal use, the therapeutic value of alcohol was widely disputed by the end of the 19th century, and it was removed from the list of scientifically approved medicines in The Pharmacopeia of the United States of America in 1916. In 1917, the American Medical Association voted against the use of alcohol as a beverage and as a therapeutic agent.
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Homemade wine and beer
During the Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the United States. However, this did not stop people from finding creative ways to make and consume alcohol. One popular method was to make homemade wine and beer.
Homemade Wine
Home winemakers could legally produce up to 200 gallons of wine per household per year for personal use, thanks to a provision in the National Prohibition Act. This led to a thriving market for wine grape concentrates and other products specifically marketed for winemaking, such as Vine-Glo. While the process of winemaking can be complex, involving steps like crushing and destemming grapes, testing for sugar and acid levels, and adding yeast, many people found it enjoyable and a great way to learn about the beverage.
Homemade Beer
While there was no similar legal provision for home beer brewing, the sale of beer-making products was not banned. As a result, large brewing companies sold products like malt syrup and extract, which people used to make their own beer at home. Additionally, breweries produced "near-beer," with an alcohol content of 0.5% or less, and provided yeast and malt syrups that, when combined with water and aged, produced a passable beer.
Health Risks
It is important to note that the Prohibition era also saw a rise in dangerous practices to procure alcohol. Bootleggers stole industrial alcohol and attempted to remove toxins through distillation, resulting in thousands of deaths and cases of blindness due to wood alcohol poisoning. Even legal industrial alcohol was often denatured with poisonous additives to prevent consumption, but this did not stop some desperate drinkers.
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Frequently asked questions
No, not all alcohol was banned. For example, religious use of wine was permitted, and doctors could prescribe medicinal alcohol to patients.
People could obtain alcohol through licensed druggists or clergymen, or they could visit "speakeasies", which were illegal bars. Speakeasies were usually members-only and had passwords to protect patrons from being overheard by law enforcement.
Speakeasies were private, unlicensed barrooms that emerged during Prohibition. They ranged from fancy clubs with jazz bands and dance floors to dingy backrooms and basements. Speakeasies served cocktails, which combined alcohol with mixers like ginger ale, Coca-Cola, sugar, mint, lemon, and fruit juices to mask the taste of poorly distilled spirits.
Speakeasies were supplied by bootleggers, who stole industrial alcohol and attempted to remove the toxins by boiling the mixture in illegal stills. This led to the accidental poisoning of thousands of drinkers. Crime bosses like Al Capone made millions supplying beer and liquor to speakeasies.
