The Failed Attempt to Ban Alcohol in the 1920s
2020-05-24
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1Stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus crisis have forced many bars and nightclubs in the United States to close temporarily.
2A century ago, bars across the country were also forcibly closed when the Volstead Act became law.
3The measure made it a crime for Americans to manufacture, sell or transport alcohol.
4The period when the Volstead Act was the law of the land is known today as Prohibition.
5The push to ban alcohol in the U.S. began in the 1850s.
6Christian women claimed alcohol was turning men into alcoholics
7. Drinking leads to violence and poverty and destroys families, they said.
8So began the social movements against alcohol and women raiding bars to destroy bottles of whiskey.
9Their actions grew from being a problem for bar workers into a real political movement.
10Daniel Okrent wrote the book "Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition."
11He told VOA News that brewers and distillers of alcoholic products campaigned hard to defeat anti-alcoholic politicians.
12Such politicians were popularly known as "drys."
13The brewers and distillers fought back hard, even to the point of interfering with elections.
14Drinking did decrease in the United States in the first years of Prohibition.
15But many Americans quickly began ignoring the law.
16Businesses known as speakeasies began to open by the hundreds in large cities.
17Speakeasies were stores or clubs that secretly sold alcohol.
18Bathtubs were used for purposes other than washing up.
19Some people used them to make alcohol.
20Wearing large overcoats and high boots became popular because they could easily hide bottles of alcohol.
21This gave birth to the term "bootlegger."
22People also started using walking sticks because the insides of the sticks could be filled with whiskey.
23Anyone caught taking a drink quickly claimed the liquid was for "medicinal purposes."
24Many of the people who owned speakeasies and bought and sold whiskey were deeply involved in organized crime.
25Al Capone, Bugs Moran and Dutch Schultz became household names and extremely rich.
26There were far more criminals involved in bootlegging than federal officers who tried to enforce the law.
27Okrent said it was not long before Prohibition was not taken seriously.
28"Anybody could get a drink any time of the day," he said.
29"You could walk in at 10 in the morning to get a drink. A 15-year-old could buy a drink. There was no regulatory environment."
30But H.L. Mencken said getting a drink in the city of Baltimore was "very difficult unless you knew a judge or a cop," noted Okrent.
31Mencken was an American journalist and cultural critic from that period.
32And foreign visitors to the United States thought of Prohibition as unreasonable.
33"Winston Churchill - and you can imagine what he thought of Prohibition - came to the U.S. and toured the West in the mid- to late 1920s," said Okrent.
34When Churchill arrived in Washington state, the first person who gave him alcohol was a Customs official, he noted.
35It was the Great Depression that would kill Prohibition.
36The U.S. government was struggling, and people suggested taxing alcohol as a way for it to get money.
37When President Herbert Hoover attended a game at baseball's 1931 World Series, the crowd responded with loud boos, with many shouting, "We want beer."
38After Franklin Roosevelt defeated Hoover in the 1932 presidential election, it did not take long for Prohibition to end.
39The 21st Amendment ended the alcohol ban and drinking became legal again in December 1933.
40Today's legislation on alcohol sales and drinking comes from Prohibition.
41In addition to taxes, it includes age limits and required closing hours for bars.
42It also blocks Americans from opening a bar near a religious center or school.
43Okrent noted how strange it is that it is harder to get a drink these days, when it is legal, than it was in the 1920s when it was illegal.
44I'm Alice Bryant.
1Stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus crisis have forced many bars and nightclubs in the United States to close temporarily. 2A century ago, bars across the country were also forcibly closed when the Volstead Act became law. The measure made it a crime for Americans to manufacture, sell or transport alcohol. The period when the Volstead Act was the law of the land is known today as Prohibition. 3The push to ban alcohol in the U.S. began in the 1850s. Christian women claimed alcohol was turning men into alcoholics. Drinking leads to violence and poverty and destroys families, they said. 4So began the social movements against alcohol and women raiding bars to destroy bottles of whiskey. Their actions grew from being a problem for bar workers into a real political movement. 5Daniel Okrent wrote the book "Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition." He told VOA News that brewers and distillers of alcoholic products campaigned hard to defeat anti-alcoholic politicians. Such politicians were popularly known as "drys." The brewers and distillers fought back hard, even to the point of interfering with elections. 6Drinking did decrease in the United States in the first years of Prohibition. But many Americans quickly began ignoring the law. 7Businesses known as speakeasies began to open by the hundreds in large cities. Speakeasies were stores or clubs that secretly sold alcohol. 8Bathtubs were used for purposes other than washing up. Some people used them to make alcohol. 9Wearing large overcoats and high boots became popular because they could easily hide bottles of alcohol. This gave birth to the term "bootlegger." People also started using walking sticks because the insides of the sticks could be filled with whiskey. 10Anyone caught taking a drink quickly claimed the liquid was for "medicinal purposes." 11Many of the people who owned speakeasies and bought and sold whiskey were deeply involved in organized crime. Al Capone, Bugs Moran and Dutch Schultz became household names and extremely rich. There were far more criminals involved in bootlegging than federal officers who tried to enforce the law. 12Okrent said it was not long before Prohibition was not taken seriously. 13"Anybody could get a drink any time of the day," he said. "You could walk in at 10 in the morning to get a drink. A 15-year-old could buy a drink. There was no regulatory environment." 14But H.L. Mencken said getting a drink in the city of Baltimore was "very difficult unless you knew a judge or a cop," noted Okrent. Mencken was an American journalist and cultural critic from that period. 15And foreign visitors to the United States thought of Prohibition as unreasonable. 16"Winston Churchill - and you can imagine what he thought of Prohibition - came to the U.S. and toured the West in the mid- to late 1920s," said Okrent. When Churchill arrived in Washington state, the first person who gave him alcohol was a Customs official, he noted. 17It was the Great Depression that would kill Prohibition. The U.S. government was struggling, and people suggested taxing alcohol as a way for it to get money. 18When President Herbert Hoover attended a game at baseball's 1931 World Series, the crowd responded with loud boos, with many shouting, "We want beer." 19After Franklin Roosevelt defeated Hoover in the 1932 presidential election, it did not take long for Prohibition to end. 20The 21st Amendment ended the alcohol ban and drinking became legal again in December 1933. 21Today's legislation on alcohol sales and drinking comes from Prohibition. In addition to taxes, it includes age limits and required closing hours for bars. It also blocks Americans from opening a bar near a religious center or school. 22Okrent noted how strange it is that it is harder to get a drink these days, when it is legal, than it was in the 1920s when it was illegal. 23I'm Alice Bryant. 24Kenneth Schwartz wrote this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 25________________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27bar - n. a building or room where alcoholic drinks and sometimes food are served 28nightclub - n. a place that is open at night, has music, dancing, or a show, and usually serves alcoholic drinks and food 29distiller - n. a person or company that produces strong alcoholic drinks (such as whiskey) by distilling them 30brewer - n. a person or company that produces beer 31bathtub - n. a large and long container in which people take baths or showers 32boot - n. a covering usually of leather or rubber for the entire foot and the lower part of the leg 33overcoat - n. a long coat that is worn to keep a person warm during cold weather 34cop - n. a police officer 35tour - n. to travel through different parts of a country or region 36boo - n. a sound that people make to show they do not like or approve of someone or something