Arielle Cruz
The 1920s in the United States saw the emergence of a black market for alcohol, with the rise of bootleggers, speakeasies, and organised crime syndicates. People who produced and distributed illegal alcohol during this time were known as bootleggers, and they formed a significant part of the criminal underworld that flourished during the Prohibition era. With the enactment of the Eighteenth Amendment, which outlawed the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol, a lucrative illegal industry was born. Bootleggers sourced alcohol through theft, hijacking shipments of industrial alcohol, and even corrupting legal brewers. They then sold their illicit wares to speakeasies or directly to customers, often cutting the alcohol with water or other substances to increase profits. The competition for patrons in speakeasies also led to the rise of jazz music and the popularity of dating among young singles. The enforcement of Prohibition proved challenging due to the varied American geography and the corruption of law enforcement officials, who were bribed to turn a blind eye.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What they were called | Bootleggers, gangsters |
| Who they supplied | Private bars, speakeasies, individual customers |
| What they supplied | Whiskey, gin, beer, hard liquor, moonshine, industrial alcohol, "bathtub gin" |
| How they obtained alcohol | Stole industrial alcohol, bought prescription forms from doctors, corrupted legal brewers, manufactured their own |
| How they distributed alcohol | Through speakeasies, by selling directly to customers |
| How they evaded the law | Bribery, hiding alcohol taste with mixers, adding water to good whiskey/gin to sell larger quantities |
| Impact on crime | Organized crime exploded, New York became America's center for organized crime |
| Impact on health | Poisonous alcohol killed or maimed thousands of drinkers |
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What You'll Learn
Gangsters and bootlegging
The 18th Amendment, which illegalized the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol, was passed by the US government in 1920. This gave rise to a whole black market, including bootleggers, who were people who made and distributed illegal alcohol.
Bootleggers would often hijack industrial alcohol and redistill it to sell as drinkable alcohol. They would also dilute good whiskey, gin, and other liquors with water to sell larger quantities. Some resorted to selling moonshine or industrial alcohol, wood or grain alcohol, and even poisonous chemicals such as carbolic acid. To hide the taste of poorly distilled alcohol, speakeasies would mix it with ginger ale, Coca-Cola, sugar, mint, lemon, fruit juices, and other flavorings, thus popularizing the cocktail.
Bootlegging gave rise to organized crime in America, with gangsters like Al Capone, Dion O'Bannion, Joe Masseria, Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano, and Bugsy Siegel becoming infamous. Capone, leader of the Chicago Outfit, made an estimated $60 million a year supplying illegal beer and liquor to thousands of speakeasies he controlled in the late 1920s. In New York, bosses such as Salvatore Maranzano, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Meyer Lansky, and Frank Costello also rose to prominence.
In Chicago, the Genna brothers gang provided hundreds of people in Little Italy with one-gallon copper "alky cookers" to make small batches of homemade liquor in their kitchens. They paid each family $15 per day to oversee the production of gallons of pure alcohol, which they then sold to speakeasies for $6 per gallon. In New York, gangster Frankie Yale also paid Italian-Americans $15 per day to run alky cookers in Brooklyn.
Bootlegging was a lucrative business, and by 1930, the US government estimated that smuggling foreign-made liquor into the country was a $3 billion industry.
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Speakeasies and illegal alcohol
The Prohibition era in the United States, lasting from 1920 to 1933, witnessed a surge in the production and distribution of illegal alcohol. This period gave rise to the emergence of speakeasies and bootlegging operations that played a significant role in supplying prohibited alcoholic beverages to a thirsty nation.
Speakeasies: Underground Drinking Establishments
Speakeasies were illicit bars or clubs that operated clandestinely during Prohibition. These establishments got their name from the act of speaking quietly ("speakeasy") about their whereabouts to avoid attracting the attention of law enforcement. To gain entry, patrons might need to whisper a password or present a membership card. Speakeasies were often hidden in inconspicuous locations, such as basements or backrooms of legitimate businesses. Despite their secretive nature, speakeasies were not always well-kept secrets, and bribery of law enforcement officers was commonplace to ensure their survival.
Bootleggers: Suppliers of Illegal Alcohol
Bootleggers were individuals or groups engaged in the illicit production, smuggling, and distribution of alcohol. They became adept at exploiting loopholes and finding creative ways to obtain and supply alcohol. Bootlegging operations ranged from small-scale distilling to large-scale criminal enterprises. Some bootleggers stole industrial alcohol and attempted to purify it for human consumption, often with deadly consequences due to the presence of toxic additives like wood alcohol. Others diluted authentic liquor with water to increase their profits. The illegal alcohol trade was not without its risks, and bootleggers faced the constant threat of enforcement by Prohibition agents and rival gangs.
Impact on Crime and Culture
The proliferation of speakeasies and bootlegging had a significant impact on American society during the 1920s. While some argue that Prohibition led to a decrease in overall crime rates, others contend that it fuelled the rise of organised crime syndicates and notorious gangsters like Al Capone, who built vast empires by supplying illegal alcohol. Speakeasies also contributed to the cultural landscape of the Roaring Twenties, with jazz music, dancing, and the emergence of "dating" among young singles.
Resistance and Relaxation of Prohibition Laws
Resistance to Prohibition was evident, with states like Maryland and New York refusing to enforce it. The impracticalities of enforcing Prohibition across diverse geographies and the lack of centralised authority further hindered its success. By the end of the 1920s, support for Prohibition waned, and it was ultimately repealed with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933, marking a return to the legal production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages.
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Poisonous alcohol and health risks
During the Prohibition era in the United States, people who produced and distributed illegal alcohol were commonly known as bootleggers. The production and sale of alcohol were banned under the Eighteenth Amendment, but this did not stop the demand for and consumption of alcohol. Bootleggers would often dilute good whiskey, gin, and other liquors with water to increase their supply and profit.
The health risks associated with poisonous alcohol were significant during the Prohibition era, leading to serious illness, blindness, and even death for many unsuspecting drinkers. The consumption of toxic alcohol, often containing methanol or wood alcohol, resulted in devastating consequences.
To prevent people from consuming industrial alcohol, the government mandated the addition of foul-tasting and smelling additives, including wood alcohol, to make it unpalatable. However, bootleggers stole large quantities of this industrial alcohol and attempted to remove the toxins through distillation. They were unsuccessful, as it was not chemically possible to eliminate all the wood alcohol. As a result, thousands of people ingested small amounts of wood alcohol, which attacked their nervous systems, causing blindness and even death.
In New York in 1926, approximately 750 people lost their lives after consuming wood alcohol-laced liquor. This tragedy highlighted the deadly nature of the poisonous alcohol being distributed by bootleggers. The government's attempts to deter consumption by adding denaturing agents to industrial alcohol inadvertently contributed to the health risks faced by drinkers.
The dangers of poisonous alcohol extended beyond the immediate health risks. The illegal alcohol industry, controlled by criminal gangs and bootleggers, posed a constant threat to public safety. Gang leaders like Al Capone in Chicago and Salvatore Maranzano in New York profited from the sale of toxic alcohol, contributing to the rise of organized crime and further endangering communities.
The consumption of poisonous alcohol during the Prohibition era underscores the unintended consequences of banning alcohol. While the aim may have been to improve public health and reduce alcohol-related issues, the reality was that many people suffered severe health problems or lost their lives due to toxic alcohol consumption.
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Enforcement and corruption
Enforcement of Prohibition faced several challenges. The law lacked a centralized authority, and the varied terrain of the United States—from valleys and mountains to lakes and swamps, as well as its extensive seaways, ports, and borders—made it difficult for Prohibition agents to stop bootleggers. The government provided funding for only 1,500 agents to enforce Prohibition across the country. While they were issued guns and vehicles, many lacked adequate training.
The sums of money exchanged during Prohibition proved a corrupting influence on law enforcement. Police officers and Prohibition agents were frequently tempted by bribes or the opportunity to enter the bootlegging business themselves. Many stayed honest, but enough succumbed to undermine public trust in law enforcement.
A study by the University of California, Davis, found that corruption by politicians, law enforcement, and others in organized crime varied by timeline, context, and depth of involvement. The study showed that as criminal contexts became more profitable during Prohibition, corruption moved up the political ladder to include fewer people who were more deeply involved. In Chicago, the organized crime network grew from 267 individuals with 789 criminal relationships before Prohibition to 937 individuals with 3,250 criminal relationships during Prohibition.
The lack of funding for Prohibition enforcement also led to corruption. The federal government and states together spent less than $500,000 to enforce Prohibition in 1923. By 1930, 1,587 out of 17,816 federal Prohibition employees had been fired for various offences, including lying on applications, perjury, robbery, bribery, embezzlement, and contempt of court.
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Crime and the economy
The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, which illegalized the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol, was passed in 1919 and came into effect on January 17, 1920. This period, known as Prohibition, gave rise to a new breed of criminals: bootleggers, who supplied illegal alcohol, and the speakeasies, or underground bars, that served it.
Bootleggers were often involved in organized crime syndicates, which coordinated the complex chain of operations involved in the manufacture and distribution of alcohol. They hijacked industrial alcohol, which was made on a large scale, and redistilled it to sell as drinkable alcohol. Despite the dangers of consuming this industrial alcohol, which was often poisonous, tens of thousands of people drank it during the 1920s, and many died as a result.
Bootleggers also supplied speakeasies with watered-down whiskey, gin, and other liquors, or sold them moonshine, a type of homemade liquor made in illegal stills. Speakeasies would often mix these poor-tasting liquors with ginger ale, Coca-Cola, sugar, mint, lemon, fruit juices, and other flavorings, leading to the rise in popularity of the mixed drink, or "cocktail." Speakeasies were generally well-known and owners would bribe low-paid police officers to look the other way or tip them off about planned raids.
The rise of bootlegging and speakeasies had a significant impact on the economy. By eliminating the alcohol industry, which was formerly the fifth-largest industry in America, Prohibition resulted in job losses and the emergence of a multi-billion dollar black market. The illegal alcohol industry also contributed to corruption in law enforcement, as criminal organizations used bribery to keep officials in their pockets.
In addition to bootleggers and speakeasies, doctors and pharmacists also contributed to the illegal alcohol trade during Prohibition. After six months of Prohibition, over 15,000 doctors and 57,000 pharmacists received licenses to prescribe or sell medicinal alcohol. It was not difficult for people to write and fill counterfeit prescriptions at pharmacies, and bootleggers often bought prescription forms from crooked doctors. In 1931, a scam involving 400 pharmacists and 1,000 doctors was uncovered, resulting in only 12 doctors and 13 pharmacists being indicted and a small fine for those charged.
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Frequently asked questions
They were called bootleggers.
Bootlegging was the process of making and distributing illegal alcohol.
Bootleggers would make "bathtub gin" and "moonshine" by redistilling wood or grain alcohol. They would also water down good whiskey, gin, and other liquors to sell larger quantities.
Illegal alcohol was sold in speakeasies, which were private, unlicensed bars. Speakeasies would often mix the poorly distilled alcohol with ginger ale, Coca-Cola, sugar, mint, lemon, fruit juices, and other flavorings to hide the taste.
Bootlegging led to the rise of organized crime in America. Criminal organizations, such as the Chicago Outfit led by Al Capone, controlled the supply of illegal alcohol to speakeasies and profited immensely from it.
