Today In History: Prohibition Begins

Today In History: Prohibition Begins

Orange_County_Deputies_Emptying_Liquor_Barrels

Every Land. -- Motto of the Women's Christian Temperance Movement.


The National Prohibition Act, also known as the Volstead Act, became effective on October 28th, 1919.  It was named after Andrew Volstead (1959-1947), a Minnesota-born United States Representative, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and a Republican.  Passed by the 66th United States Congress, it executed the Eighteenth Amendment which prohibited alcohol in the United States. Despite efforts to be "dry" or discontinue the production, sale and distribution of wine, beer, and spirits, the alcohol trade continued through networks of organized crime. Mobsters, particularly in Chicago, Detroit, and other large cities, became wealthy and enjoyed significant political power as violence escalated. In the 1920s bootlegging and speakeasies were common. Indeed, even in classic literature the theme is prevalent; F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925) is set in Long Island, New York during the Jazz Age and tells of the romance between the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his former socialite lover, Daisy Buchanan.

By 1933 there was widespread opposition to prohibition for personal, social, and economic reasons. The repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933 restored the control of alcohol to the states and served to reduce crime while strengthen the national economy.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

 

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