PLEASE have a drink while you learn some history
U.S. Prohibition Era: January 16, 1920 through December 5, 1933
The prohibition of alcohol in the 1920's and 30's in the United States is one of most famous, or infamous, times in recent American history. The intention was to reduce the consumption of alcohol by eliminating businesses that manufactured, distributed and sold it. Considered by many as a failed social and political experiment, the era changed the way many Americans view alcoholic beverages, enhancing the realization that federal government control cannot always take the place of personal responsibility.
We associate the era with gangsters, bootleggers, speakeasies, rum-runners and an overall chaotic situation in respect to the social network of Americans. The period began in 1920 with general acceptance by the public and ended in 1933 as the result of the public's annoyance of the law and the ever-increasing enforcement nightmare.
Leading up to Prohibition
Temperance movements had long been active in the American political scene but the movement first became organized in the 1840's by religious denominations, primarily Methodists. This initial campaign started out strong and made a small amount of progress throughout the 1850's but shortly thereafter lost strength.
The dry movement saw a revival in the 1880's due to the increased campaigning of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (est. 1874) and the Prohibition Party (est. 1869). In 1893 the Anti-Saloon League was established and these three influential groups were the primary advocates for the eventual passage of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
