Speakeasies With the passage of the 18th Amendment, nationwide
prohibition was underway.
How did the government attempt to enforce prohibition?
How did Americans try to circumvent it?
Just after the 18th Amendment was ratified by the states, congress passed the Volstead
Act as a means of enforcing the new amendment.
When the new law went into effect, 1,520 Federal Prohibition Agents were given the task of
enforcing it.
Thousands of gallons of alcohol were immediately poured down the drains and into the sewers.
Initially, those in favor of prohibition praised the success of "The Noble Experiment", as
they called it.
Arrests for drunkenness were down, as were reports of alcohol-related illnesses.
However, as time progressed, some unintended consequences began to emerge.
Breweries were forced to shut down in St. Louis and Milwaukee.
This left thousands out of work.
Grape growers in California, as well as bar owners had also been negatively impacted.
Also, despite the best efforts of law enforcement agents, many people did everything they could
to side-step prohibition.
First off, neither the 18th Amendment, nor the Volstead Act prohibited the personal consumption
of alcohol.
As a result, many people began stockpiling wine and other alcoholic beverages prior to
the implementation of prohibition.
Also, the law included a provision that as much as two hundred gallons of homemade wine
could be made each year, per household.
This did cause the sale of grapes to increase, but many people began raising their own grapes
as well.
By far, the biggest unintended consequence of prohibition was the rise of the speakeasy.
A speakeasy was an illegal bar during the prohibition era.
The establishments were known by this name, because those who knew of one's existence
were supposed to "speak easy", or stay quiet, about its location.
A speakeasy was typically located in the attic, basement, or backroom of another legitimate
business.
Cafes, soda shops, flower shops, and funeral homes were all known to have housed speakeasies.
To enter the speakeasy, one might have to be familiar with a special knock, or a secret
password.
Once inside, other code words might be used for ordering drinks.
One of the most common was a "cocktail", used to describe some other beverage that had been
mixed with alcohol.
This term is still commonly used today.
Cocktails could be mixed using soft-drinks, fruit juices, or flavored waters.
This actually introduced even more people to alcohol, because it made drinks more palatable
to those who did not like the taste of alcohol.
To further disguise the nature of the beverage, different types of glasses began being used,
other than those that had been traditionally used for alcohol.
As speakeasies became more and more popular, prohibition became easier to ignore for many
Americans.
Everyone could be found in speakeasies, from factory workers, to mayors, police chiefs,
and judges.
When other customers saw high-ranking local officials defying the national law, it proved
increasingly difficult to enforce.
However, since speakeasies were illegal, the threat of being raided by the authorities
was a constant danger.
Most speakeasies had a signal of some sort, which it used to inform customers that a raid
was imminent.
For example, the band performing might be instructed to play a special song.
This would be used as a cue for customers to vacate the premises.
The speakeasies were sometimes equipped with emergency exits, trapdoors, and secret cabinets
where alcohol could be hidden.
As the 1920s came to a close, speakeasies were incredibly common throughout the United
States.
Some estimates claim that there were as many as 100,000 speakeasies in New York City alone!