When most individuals think of the decade of the 1920s in the United States, one of the most common aspects that people refer to time and time again is the period of Prohibition. The Prohibition period is derived from the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment in January 1920, where it prohibited "the manufacturing, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors" anywhere in the United States. To many historians, this was the pinnacle of the entire temperance movement, a movement which had originated in the early portion of the nineteenth century as a collection of minor social groups like the Anti-Saloon League and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. These groups organized to prevent the further spread of liquor in the United States, and their work against such an aspiration increased as more and more americans drew nearer to cities and utilized alcohol as a coping mechanism to escape the harsh and dreary reality of urban life. With cities growing exponentially, this prolonged effort to limit alcohol consumption and prevent any more unruly behavior and improper social conduct of this day and age, prohibitionists made their campaigns even more vigorous than of the past. While many of these groups did pertain to religious institutions, groups like the Anti-Saloon League campaigned vigorously through both propaganda and public demonstrations in examining the risks of alcoholism, and by the turn of the nineteenth century expanded to become a nation-wide enterprise. This helped them forge a stronger support group and with this new stability, they were able to nominate some political candidates both at state-wide and national levels. These pro-temperance leaders became known as the "Drys," as they despised the flowing of alcohol, and they achieved adequate success by convincing almost half of the forty-eight admitted states to pass state laws banning taverns and selling of liquor just prior to the start of the 1920s. In 1920s, the Drys won a majority in both houses of congress, thereby allowing for the Eighteenth Amendment and the National Prohibition Act (Volstead Act) to be passed to be in effect in all states and overrule the veto of President Woodrow Wilson, as they hoped that no more alcohol would drastically reduce harmful acts of violence, poverty, and emotional distress among millions of individuals.
Although the Eighteenth Amendment was passed by a majority in favor of its ratification and sharply decreased the overall consumption of alcohol, much of the American population was not pleased with this outcome and rebelled against this act of legislation. This gave rise to illegal crime reigns, most famously the "gangsters" of this era and organized illegal selling of alcohol. Home-made alcohol was commonly fermented at this time, and individuals like Al Capone made their way to fame during this era for their work in transporting massive amounts of alcohol to underground rooms known as "Speakeasies" in large urban cities. The name "speakeasy" is derived from the idea that individuals who enter such a location could act and drink without acting apprehensive of being caught by the police. Rural areas achieved much more limited success in alcohol consumption, as there were fewer people compared to the number of law enforcement officers. These rooms became central social clubs of the average adult American at this time, about the equivalent of the salon in eighteenth century France. When the workday concluded, adults would gather in these covert shelters and enter only through secret knocks to prevent law enforcement detection, and alcohol would flow like fountains. Dancing and other forms of social merriment would also take place at such locations, tying together numerous social factions together to have more in common. Being attracted to take part in illegal activity together, in actuality, united more Americans together than actually tearing the fabric of the nation apart. This is one of the reasons why the image of the speakeasy has been a significant figure in the history of the United States. These were centers for American culture to flourish and spread across to people of different backgrounds, thus helping give the name to this decade the "Roaring Twenties," as it was a ferment of American culture (no pun intended).
In actuality, the period of illegal bootlegging of alcohol and enforcement of prohibition
was short lived with marginal success during its reign. When the stock market took a plunge in October 1929, millions of Americans were out of jobs, and currency disappeared, leaving the American people on their own and struggling to obtain all basic necessities to live. This fact may appear irrelevant at first to readers, but it directly contributed to the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, for many Americans felt that the banning of jobs to ferment and sell alcoholic beverages intensified the strife occurring during this era. Coalitions like the American Against Prohibition Association (AAPA) grew during this time, dissolving the previous Congress majority, and their support was further bolstered by the lack of police supervision and enforcement when the Great Depression first hit the states. At the start of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency in 1933, the new Congress was able to ratify the Twenty-first Amendment, rescinding the parameters of the Eighteenth Amendment and making alcohol consumption and distribution legal once again and ending much of the century-long American temperance movement.
Resources:https://www.britannica.com/topic/Twenty-first-Amendmenthttps://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xviiihttp://www.history.com/topics/18th-and-21st-amendments
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