Prohibition: Impact and Effects

President Harding had alcohol delivered to the White House

Judge Harry Trumann, played cards with friends and drank alcohol

Al Capone- Control of people- politicians/congressman

Mayor 'Big Bill' Thompson of Chicago paid off gangsters using $1 million of government/state money

Ned Green- Prohibition administrator of North Carolina held cocktail parties

Elliot Ness arrested Al Capone for Tax evasion rather than all the other crimes he committed

Speakeasies- illegal liqour shops and drinking clubs during prohibition

Bootlegging- illegal traffic of alcoholic drinks into the USA

New York- number of establishments=32,000- double pre-prohibition no.

Only 3,000 prohibition officers, earning $2,500 a year- same as bin men, thus easily bribed

Average $400 a month= $150 million a year bribes from speakeasies to police

One agent earned $7 million

1920-1930= 10% of agents fined for corruption

Not much alcohol was intercepted only 5%, 1924 =$40 million, thus estimated $800 million was entering the US

St Pierre and Miquelon- French, brought alcohol to US, 3 million bottles of champagne, became france's biggest overseas market

By 1929, alcohol consumption was 70% of pre-war level

'King of the Bootleggers'- George Remus, bought breweries before prohibition for medicinal purposes, yet arranged for it to be hijacked by 300 gansters

made $5 million in 5 years

Alcohol was the 7th biggest industry- large demand

Hotspot for gansters- Chicago

National murder rate increased by 1/3 during prohibition

It turned gangsters into celebs, lots of money was involved in this business

John Torrio- leading ganster- before Capone- retired with $30 million-1925

700 gansters at disposal 

They killed 300 people between 1927-30

Famous St Valentine's day Massecre (1929), 7 died, Irish and Jewish Americans associated with Dion O'Banion and the Bugs Moran Gang

No one bothered with Capone as he was a celeb 

Arrested in 1932 for tax evasion

$70 million business undertaken by Al Capone's gang

Soft drinks industry boomed

Sale of Coca Cola up, 182 million sold during prohibition

Reduction in workplace accidents, drink driving, alcohol related abuse

WCTU- had more of a voice, spoke out against alcohol lead to child/domestic abuse and waste of money

Intake of alcohol per adult per year reduced from 2.6 gallons to 1 gallon

Billy Sunday- introducting of prohibition- 'Reign of tears is over'

Franklin D. Roosevelt- elected 1933

First act- Beer Act- re-evaluated intoxication levels of liquor- allowed some alcohol to be produced

Created more jobs

Campaign song-'Happy days are hear again'- gave people hope of the return of alcohol

Wickersham Report- 1931- they said it wasn't working yet it should still be kept

1920's women (some) orginally supported prohibition yet changed minds by the end