on january 17th, 1920, the taps were turned off…
However, the battle to ban alcohol began long before. From its very birth America had an almost unquenchable thirst for alcohol. The colonists planted trees for cider upon landing, the founders were notable connoisseurs of wine, rum, and of course beer. the Declaration of Independence was even drafted in a tavern. Even so, the party couldn’t last forever. As the disastrous effects of over consumption became commonplace, more and more people organized for the cause of prohibition. The fight was long, and politically, successful, but what was to follow, no one could have imagined.
the spirits of america.
The Mayflower came to America with 10,000 gallons of wine and more beer than water. People of all ages regularly drank alcohol, as it was safer than water. As the country grew however, and with the introduction of hard liquor and stratification of society, the drinking habits took a turn for the worse. By the mid-1800s, with no relief in sight, alcoholism was at near epidemic levels.
Beer
For the colonists, beer was viewed as a natural part of life and a good creation of God. Low ABV beer was regularly brewed at home, sometimes up to twice a week. Brewing was so ubiquitous that one of Harvard’s first buildings was a brewery. The first commercial brewery was founded in Manhattan in 1632, later as the Germans emigrated and brought their brewing skills with them, they cemented beer’s status as America’s most popular alcoholic beverage.
Cider
Just nine days after landing on the Mayflower apple trees were planted in the New England colonies. The Endicott fruit tree, which is the oldest living fruit tree in America, was planted for the express purpose of making cider. Cider, like beer, was served to all members of the family and was regularly enjoyed between meals during the work day on farms. By 1667, once the trees had matured, one state official had speculated that drunkenness from cider was to blame for the continuous outbreaks of rioting among the colonists on the east coast.
hard liquor
As the colonies grew hard liquor became more commonplace. Troops in the Colonial Army received a daily ration of four ounces of either rum or whiskey. After the revolution Americans started drinking more home-grown rye whiskey since it could be produced locally. The laissez faire attitudes toward drunkenness were such that the first Kentucky whiskey was distilled by Elijah Craig, a Baptist minister, and “happy hours” would generally last from three o’ clock until dinner.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries there was a large influx of German immigrants. They brought with them not only their love of beer, but also their skill at brewing it. From 1900 to 1913 annual consumption in America nearly doubled from 1.2 to 2 billion gallons.
a bar was on every corner
Saloons weren’t only places to get a drink, they served as political, social and business venues. Places like the Windsor Tavern or City Tavern were epicenters of early American political life.
However, since saloons were male-only institutions they caused considerable stress on families. As the 18th century drew to a close a disparate number of progressive groups began to organize and lobby to outlaw the saloon.
Saloons in the West
The first known saloon in the west was established to serve fur trappers in 1822 at Brown’s Hole, Wyoming. These were places where you could get a beer, sometimes a room, and also send or receive mail. Many of these saloons offered free lunch with the purchase of a drink as well, hoping to entice customers to stick around and drink more after lunch or come back later when the work day was done.
Tied Houses
Prior to the three-tier system, many saloons were in debt to, or owned by, large breweries. Driven by fierce competition, the breweries would go so far as to offer start-up loans and furnish (with their branding) the entire interior of a saloon. In return the saloons would be exclusive accounts for the breweries that sponsored them. This way of business increasingly monopolized the brewing industry, making it nearly impossible in some areas to find anything different, or cheaper to drink.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries there was a large influx of German immigrants. They brought with them not only their love of beer, but also their skill at brewing it. From 1900 to 1913 annual consumption in America nearly doubled from 1.2 to 2 billion gallons.
the war on alcohol
Initially the temperance movement sought only to curb the drinking habits of the nation, as time went on however, the mission became not only temperance and the closing of the saloon, but total prohibition of all alcohol. Soon the battle became a political struggle between the “Wets” who wanted to keep liquor legal, and the “Drys” who were fighting for prohibition.
women’s christian temperance union
Founded in 1874, by Annie Wittenmyer, the WCTU was a social reform organization focused on creating a “sober and pure world”. This primarily manifested itself in the call for prohibition, although they were also focused on many other progressive issues. They saw alcohol as the prime driver for most social ills. By 1890, under Francis Willard’s leadership it was the largest organization of women in the world.
the suffrage movement
The national movement for women’s rights began to gather strength after a national suffrage resolution was passed at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1850. Afterwards many suffrage and abolitionist groups banded together to promote suffrage. Many brewers were in opposition to suffrage, fearing that once women were allowed to vote, they would outlaw beer. However, after nearly a century of organizing, in 1920, women were granted the right to vote.
anti-saloon league
Founded in 1893, the ASL was a non-partisan group that focused on one thing: prohibition. Coming to national prominence by 1895 they were instrumental in making the fight for prohibition a constitutional matter. Under the leadership of Wayne Wheeler they became a powerful lobbying group that relentlessly fought to get “dry” candidates elected and in turn have them vote for a constitutional amendment.
carrie nation stuff here
the roaring twenties
32,000 speakeasies in new york
Almost as soon as the Volstead Act went into effect underground drinking establishments popped up everywhere. There were even boats where the wealthy could cruise beyond territorial waters on the Atlantic and drink the night away. Many of these places however were former bars operating under the guise of being restaurants or social clubs. Word of mouth spread quickly and a watering hole was never hard to find, it was estimated that, at the height of Prohibition, there were 32,000 speakeasies in New York City. Due to the illicit nature of the businesses, most of them were owned or supplied by organized crime groups. Mob bosses like Al Capone controlled large distribution networks and grew crime empires from the money that they made during Prohibition. This was just one of the many unintended consequences of Prohibition.
the birth of jazz
The speakeasies also became lounges where whites and blacks mixed socially. Places such as the Cotton Club in Harlem were one of the clubs where people of all stripes would come to enjoy a cocktail and listen to a new form of music called “Jazz”. Jazz luminaries like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were regular performers in these underground establishments
jobs lost to prohibition
It is estimated that up to 250,000 jobs were lost when Prohibition went into effect. Alcohol manufacturers weren’t the only casualties of the law. Many other industries included in the supply chain were also affected. Truck drivers, night clubs, dance halls, coopers, and bottle makers also suffered under the law. This also caused significant loss of tax revenue from the sale and manufacturing of alcohol. Prohibition cost the government $11 billion dollars in lost taxes along with an extra $300 million in annual enforcement costs.
a new generation redefines womanhood
The 1920s were a time of immense social change. With the advent of the speakeasy public drinking places were no longer for men only. This drastically changed how men and women related to each other in social settings and casual dating replaced the more formal courtship rituals of the Victorian era. Formal gowns and modest attire were replaced by short, often sequined dresses as well as makeup. Many women also took up smoking and cut their hair short. The upheaval of the social norms and feminine expressions can be summed up in the iconic image of the “flapper” girl, liberated from the social and political restrictions of times past, the women of the 20s broke with previous generations in almost every respect, with the power to vote and the ability to be active participants in many areas of social life that were once deemed only appropriate for men.
public corruption
Corruption at every level of government and enforcement became a well known fact of life during Prohibition. With the lucrative sale of bootleg liquor, bribes to officials became a common practice. There was one city magistrate in Philadelphia who was convicted of taking $87,993 in only 10 months. This corruption also surfaced in the hypocrisy of elected officials across the country. The director of Prohibition enforcement in California served liquor to his guests because “he was a gentleman and not a prude.” Congress even had their own bootlegger called “the man in the green hat” and members were reportedly seen drinking cocktails between sessions. Respect for the law had sunk so low that New York mayor, Fiorello La Guardia sent instructions on how to make wine to his constituents.
bootlegging
With alcohol production going underground the safeguards of a nationally regulated market were gone. Any number of noxious chemicals could be found in moonshine and the awful taste of these spirits led to the popularization of the cocktail. In 1927 there were nearly 12,000 deaths resulting from toxic homemade liquor, and still thousands more were left maimed for life with paralysis or blindness. Prohibition also changed the way people drank. In times past groups of working class men would gather socially and drink, however once it was illegal, both sexes started partaking and in the process drank copious amounts of alcohol to get drunk as quickly as possible.
Although small street gangs existed in most urban areas, it wasn’t until Prohibition went into effect that organized crime units became the large, sophisticated operations we know of today. With liquor being made illegal, the incredibly lucrative sale and transportation of alcohol was taken up by gangs. Adjusted for inflation, mobsters like Al Capone were making millions of dollars a year in sale of alcohol. This meant there was plenty of money to go around in bribes to any authorities who might otherwise be standing in the way. With increased competition however came swaths of urban violence and turf wars, one of the most famous being the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago, where seven of north side gang leader Bugs Moran’s men were executed in broad daylight by Al Capone’s rival south side gang.
brewing during prohibition
how the breweries survived
Once the Volstead Act went into effect breweries grappled with how to stay in business. Many of them started brewing a variety of non-alcoholic “near-beers” and other malt beverages. This shift into alcohol free carbonated beverages helped popularize sugary sodas and the malt shops of the 1950s. Some used their already existing spaces to produce items as varied as ceramics and ice cream, most however went out of business.
the indiana brewing industry
Prior to Prohibition Indiana had a robust brewing industry, employing many Hoosiers at one of the 76 breweries that were in operation. Some breweries, such as Drewrys from South Bend, weathered the storm and resumed brewing after repeal. Unfortunately many that re-opened soon closed their doors, unable to compete with the national breweries. It wasn’t until 2014, with the craft beer boom, that Indiana returned to its pre-Prohibition level of brewing.
the tide shifts as repeal movements gain steam
Increasingly fed up with crime, corruption, tax losses, and the burgeoning economic depression, even some of Prohibition’s staunchest defenders began to rethink the law. Though it took over a century to enact national prohibition, it only took 13 years to repeal the law.
women lead the way
In many respects the movement for repeal echoed the movement for Prohibition. Pauline Sabin, a Republican activist, founded the significantly influential Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform. The group would go on to have 1.5 million members by 1931. Just as in times past, an appeal was made to consider the ill effects that, in this case, Prohibition, was having on families and the moral development of children. The thirst for legal alcohol also helped Franklin D. Roosevelt, an advocate of repeal, win the presidency. Even former supporters of Prohibition found themselves at a loss. John D. Rockefeller, a life-long “dry” who had formerly contributed up $750,000 to the Anti-Saloon League was one of the many public figures who were dismayed by multitude of negative effects that banning alcohol had on the country and culture.
we want jobs!
After the nation began to languish in the Great Depression one of the main points pushed for repeal is that it would bring in tax revenue and provide jobs. “wet” advocates thought it would end the Depression, while that wasn’t exactly the case, the taxes collected from legal alcohol were instrumental in funding FDR’s New Deal. Repeal also brought a wealth of jobs back with it. Almost immediately breweries and taverns went back into business, putting thousands of brewers, truck drivers, farmers, and hospitality workers back to work.
the BEER ACT IS SIGNED
On April 7th, President Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison act. Also known as “the Beer Act”, it legalized beer (or wine) with an abv of 3.2% or less. The tax windfall and great enthusiasm for the bill helped usher in the final blow to Prohibition, the 21st amendment.
prohibition changed how we drink
Even with all of its failures Prohibition was successful in one key area: people today still drink less alcohol than they did in the 1800s. Linked with the suffrage movement and later the speakeasies, it transformed the role of women in society, it also drastically reshaped our brewing industry. Another outcome of prohibition is the development of the three- tier system, without which, the way alcohol is transported and sold would be completely different. If you look close enough, Prohibition’s impact can be seen in almost every sphere of American life.