Prohibition 101: The Speakeasy Quiz

During the early 1900s, those involved with the temperance movement believed that alcohol leads to the destruction of families and a lack of morality. When Prohibition was signed into law, the movement was given validation.

The 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, was responsible for signing the 18th Amendment into law. Wilson served the country for two terms starting in 1913 and lasting until 1921.

As WWI raged, Americans were forced to ration most everything. President Woodrow Wilson used rationing as the basis for the reason to prohibit the manufacturing of alcohol. He believed that grain was best used as food, not drink.

Signed into law on January 29, 1919, the 18th Amendment made the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic drinks illegal. It was repealed in 1933 when the 21st Amendment was ratified.

Even though the 18th Amendment forbids the manufacturing and transport of alcohol, it didn't stop bootleggers! Bootleggers continued to make and distribute homemade libations using modified vehicles that could outrun the police.

To both hide and transport illegal moonshine or whiskey, clever and bold bootleggers would modify their cars to run faster than those of federal agents. The evolution of the vehicles and bootlegger driving skills is responsible for creating NASCAR.

While the 18th Amendment did make it illegal to make, sell or transport alcoholic beverages, it did not make it illegal to drink it. With bootleggers continuing to operate, those who wanted a drink could easily find it.

After the 21st Amendment was passed and lifted the restrictions placed by the 18th Amendments, many states continued to uphold prohibition-era laws. Mississippi upheld them until 1966.

The Volstead Act of 1919 was passed by an overwhelming majority. Although it reinforced Prohibition-era rules by making it legal to enforce the law, it also allowed for the sale of certain kinds of alcohol for medicinal and sacramental purposes.

Long before luxury boat travel, well-off drinkers during the Prohibition era would have taken a "cruise to nowhere." Also known as a "booze cruise," trips were taken into international waters where boats would travel in circles. There were no laws forbidding drinking there.

Because of the Volstead Act, certain blends of alcohol were allowed to be sold for medicinal purposes like a cough. Prior to the act's passage, Walgreens had only 20 locations. Once the act was passed, it grew to more than 500 stores.

The rebelliousness that defined the "Roaring '20s" might lead one to think that alcohol consumption increased during Prohibition. In fact, researchers at Boston University and M.I.T. found that it had the opposite effect. During the era, alcohol consumption dropped by 70%!

As Prohibition progressed, private establishments called speakeasies began to spring up all over the country. The New York History Historical Society estimates that New York state was home to about 100,000 of them.

As more and more speakeasies opened, musicians from the south began to move north in what is called the "Great Migration." Employed as the entertainment in gangster-owned speakeasies, they created the musical art form known as Jazz.

Many women like those in the Women's Christian Temperance Union advocated for Prohibition. However, many women defined the era by cutting their hair, sporting short dresses and socializing with men at local speakeasies. They became known as flappers.

Some of the fancier speakeasies of the time catered to the upper class like New York's Cotton Hill Club. Establishments that held less prestige were sometimes called "blind pigs" or "blind tigers."

Because of the illegal activity taking place inside, speakeasies were kept in secrecy. One could only gain entry by being recommended by another member, having a membership card or knowing a password.

Bootleggers were employed by speakeasy owners to supply customers with liquors like whiskey, moonshine and "bathtub gin." Chicago's Marge's Still was well known for serving gin made in a bathtub on the establishment's second floor.

Although speakeasies were kept on the down-low, those who were in the know knew to look for a green door. The practice was more common in Chicago than New York, and many of the original green doors still remain.

Al Capone's brother might have been a federal agent working to stop the flow of alcohol in the United States, but it didn't stop him from profiting from the ban. In 1927 alone, Al Capone made over $60 million supplying bootlegged alcohol to speakeasies around Chicago.

On December 5, 1933, the 18th Amendment became the only Amendment in United States history to be repealed by another. The 21st Amendment was ratified and rendered the Prohibition movement null and void.

Advocates for Prohibition laws argued that alcohol led to the moral decline of the country. Sometimes called "the noble experiment," the 13 years in American history cost the government $11 billion dollars in lost excise taxes.

Dating from the time the 18th Amendment was signed in 1920 to the day the 21st Amendment took over in 1933, Prohibition lasted for a total of 13 years. During those years, 10,000 people lost their lives drinking illegal and unregulated liquors.

Including Al Capone's brother, the U.S. government employed 3,000 federal agents to stop the flow of alcohol. Often, an agent's low pay made corruption tempting. Out of 10,000 arrests in Chicago, only 17 convictions were ever obtained.

One of the most popular Prohibition-era liquors was rum that was smuggled in from Jamaica. Those who took the chance of delivering the ill-gotten alcohol were called "rumrunners." Hence, the name of the popular drink.

Recent years have seen an increase in legal moonshine distilleries. Back during Prohibition, bootleggers risked life and limb to outrun agents with it, though. Although it can be made anywhere, moonshine has deep, traditional roots in the American south.

When commentating on the passage of the 21st Amendment, President Franklin Roosevelt uttered the famous quote, Only a few months later, he was sent the first legally manufactured beer since Prohibition began. It met new standards of having no more than 3.2 percent alcohol by volume.

The introduction of the Volstead Act allowed states to enforce the 18th Amendment legally, but not all states participated. Maryland was the only state in the U.S. that decided against participating.

The 21st Amendment once again made the manufacture and sale of alcohol legal, but it was up to the states to enforce it. Though most states eased 18th Amendment-era laws, 10 U.S. states still have "dry counties" where the sale of alcohol is strictly forbidden.

With alcohol production stopped, beermakers like Anheuser-Busch and Yuengling converted their factories to make ice cream. Other makers pushed the boundaries of the law by making a lower percentage "near beer."

During Prohibition, drugstores were allowed to carry various liquors that were said to cure minor ailments like a cough. On the same hand, winemakers were still able to produce and to sell sacramental wines to priests and rabbis.

The 18th Amendment simply stated that one could not purchase nor make alcohol. However, it was never illegal to have alcohol in one's home. This loophole saw many homeowners creating wine cellars and secret storage rooms.

In 1851 and led by the advocacy group the American Temperance League, Maine took it upon themselves to ban the sale of alcohol. Many states adopted some of the "Maine Laws" before Prohibition went into effect.

One of the best cultural byproducts of Prohibition was the breaking down of barriers. With alcohol consumption made into a secretive activity, many speakeasies were known as "black and tans." They were safe places for African Americans and women to participate alongside white men.

Prohibition-era liquor was often made by home distillers, and it often had a rough and unrefined taste. To mask the flavor, cocktails called "pansies" were created. Names of "pansies" include Sidecar, Mint Julep, and Bee's Knees.