Risky Times in the Twenties

Allie Morand

Mrs. Baker

Literary Analysis

26 February 2019
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Allie Morand

Mrs. Baker

Literary Analysis

26 February 2019

Risky Times in the Twenties

The 1920s were a time of great prosperity, but also some controversy. The Eighteenth

Amendment placed a nationwide ban on intoxicating liquors, which set forth the problem of

enforcing Americans to obey this new law. The ban on the transportation and manufacture of

alcohol led to an era of prohibition, which resulted in the rise of speakeasies and organized

crime.

The era of prohibition began shortly after the Eighteenth Amendment had been enforced

in America. This law stated that the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcohol will be banned

(History). The ban on alcohol was due to the consumption getting out of hand, and also that

alcohol did not have any good effects on those who drank intoxicating liquors. As stated in an

informational prohibition video, “Some considered alcohol to be America’s national curse”

(History). Those Americans who viewed alcohol this way also believed that the federal ban

would help lower crime rates, strengthen families, and generally improve the national character.

In reality, the noble experiment lasted a little longer than a decade and resulted in many

problematic situations for the economy to settle. America suffered the elimination of thousands

of jobs when breweries, distilleries, and saloons were shut down (History). Jack Blocker, A

writer for the American Journal of Public Health, stated, “Although many prohibitionists were

motivated by religious faith, American temperance reformers learned from an early point in their
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movement’s history to present their message in ways that would appeal widely to citizens of a

society…” (Blocker). This shows that authorities could have thought more about their plan

before bringing a whole country to obey a serious law.

Along with an era full of prohibition, the nation also came across the new idea of

speakeasies. These allowed Americans to secretly drink alcohol by entering private, unlicensed

barrooms. The rooms were named speakeasies because of how quiet the guests had to speak the

passwords to get in without law enforcement overhearing (History). However, speakeasies were

pretty ill-kept secrets. The owners would tip low-paid police officers to look the other way, or to

keep their bars secret from authorities (Speakeasies). Not all of the speakeasies were quite the

same, though. These secret bars, according to a speakeasy article, “ranged from fancy clubs with

jazz bands and ballroom dance floors to dingy backrooms, basements, and rooms inside

apartments” (Speakeasies). Some consisted of hundreds of guests, while others could only fit a

few extra people when necessary. Speakeasies became very popular, even throughout the urban

areas, and acted as a way to help “sneak” intoxicating liquors into the hands of the nation.

Since many businesses went out of commission and thousands of jobs were forced to be

eliminated, bootlegging also arose in the twenties. Bootlegging was the practice of making,

selling, and transporting alcohol illegally (History). It became very popular because of the

amount of money bootleggers would make. For example, some made up to Twelve Million

dollars a year (Speakeasies). However, the alcohol used was of lesser quality and sometimes

dangerous. According to the prohibition video by History, “On average, 1,000 Americans died

every year during prohibition from the effects of drinking the tainted liquor” (History). The

bootleggers knew that they would make money since the nation could not buy alcohol from
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anywhere else, so they did not care if it caused death to its buyers. Bootlegging was a huge part

of the prohibition era, but its effects were also diminishing to the economy.

Another consequence brought to the nation due to prohibition was the amount of

organized crime. America exploded with crime due to bootlegging. Criminal groups had steady

incomes through their illegal actions. As stated in the speakeasy article, “Crime rate was very

high during prohibition. Organized criminals quickly seized on the opportunity to exploit the

new lucrative criminal racket of speakeasies… Organized crime in America exploded because of

bootlegging” (Speakeasies). Americans began to realize that the Eighteenth Amendment only

placed a ban on the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcohol. However, there was nothing to

be said about the consumption of alcohol, so the nation viewed it as okay (History). So people

started buying illegal liquor. The prohibition video also stated, “The illegal trade made criminals

out of millions of formally law abiding Americans” (History). Innocent Americans soon

followed the ways of the criminals since their ways seemed logical, and also because they found

a loophole around the ban on alcohol. In an article revised by Amy Tikkanen, it was stated, “The

distribution of liquor was necessarily more complex than any other types of criminal activity,

and organized gangs eventually arose that could control an entire local chain of bootlegging

operations, from concealed distilleries and breweries through storage and transport channels to

speakeasies, restaurants, and nightclubs” (Prohibition). These gangs tried to secure a whole

territory to which they brought illegal liquor to.

Because of the increase in organized crime and illegal liquor sales, congress repealed the

Eighteenth Amendment in 1933. This returned America to its former laws, ending the time of the

“risky twenties”. Since the ban on the manufacture and transportation of intoxicating liquors was
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repealed, the era of prohibition came to an end. This halt to the prohibition era ended the chain of

speakeasies, and slowed down the rate of illegal liquor entering the country, resulting in the

crime rates to slow down as well. Ultimately, the era of prohibition may have ended; however, it

will never be forgotten because of how prosperous America became.

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Works Cited

Blocker, Jack S. “Did Prohibition Really Work? Alcohol Prohibition as a Public Health

Innovation.” ​American Journal of Public Health,​ 10 Oct. 2011,

ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2005.065409.

“Prohibition.” ​Encyclopedia Britannica,​ Amy Tikkanen, 3 Aug. 2018,

www.britannica.com/event/Prohibition-United-States-history-1920-1933.

“Prohibition.” ​History.com,​ A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009,

www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/prohibition.

“The Speakeasies of the 1920s.” ​Prohibition: An Interactive History,​

prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-prohibition-underworld/the-speakeasies-of-

the-1920s/.