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Education: Prohibition

Prohibition began in 1920 with the passage of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. For the next thirteen years, the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol in the United States was illegal. The Prohibition Movement originated with organizations like the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League in the second half of the 19th century. Belonging to the Progressive Movement, these temperance organizations sought not only to address the effects of society's problems, but to eliminate the root cause of crime and poverty by prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol.

While these ideas might seem noble, they involved a darker side. These organizations were rooted in Protestant ideas of the Social Gospel and exhibited prejudice towards the growing number of immigrants and Catholics in America's cities. Many supporters of Prohibition viewed the newly arriving immigrants' enjoyment of beer and whiskey as the reason for the rising poverty and crime rates in many American cities, especially New York.

Prohibitionists' intentions of eliminating crime and poverty not only failed, they backfired! Prohibition actually led to an increase in crime and illegal activity, as many began to profit from the illegal importing, production, and selling of alcohol. While the experiment with Prohibition ultimately ended with the passage of the 21st Amendment, it transformed American society and culture.

NYS Social Scope and Sequence Standards: 8.4 & 11.7

For Teachers: Prohibition Lesson Plan

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Union Square Park

The Temperance Movement existed in the United States from at least the second half of the 19th century. As immigration increased, so did poverty and crime. Members of the native-born middle classes often looked down on these new arrivals with disdain. They believed the newcomers, particularly the Irish and Germans, drank too much alcohol, and attributed all of society's problems to the consumption of beer and liquor. Organizations like the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League formed in rural parts of the United States and advocated for reforms to end, what they saw as, the alcohol-induced crime wave. Their initial reforms were simple. In the 1880s and 90s, Temperance organizations encouraged people to sign a pledge abstaining from alcohol and helped raise funds to construct drinking fountains throughout New York City and other cities across the country. They believed that if they provided more access to clean drinking water, people would be less likely to consume alcohol. One of these fountains still exists today on the west side of Union Square. Over time, their goals and agenda became more ambitious and the Prohibition Movement began.

3548-3560 Third Avenue

Prohibition had many economic consequences. Scores of small breweries across the nation were forced to close as a result of the new ban. This included breweries like this one in the Bronx. The owners and employees of these breweries lost their jobs and income, which went against the stated ideal of alleviating the effects of poverty.

Eagle Brewery

While many breweries, like the Eagle Brewery, were forced to close during this era, some managed to survive with a little ingenuity. The Yuengling Brewery, affiliated with the shuttered Eagle brewery, is America's oldest producer of beer, founded in 1829. It survived the Prohibition era by shifting from beer to ice cream production!

Delmonico's Restaurant, 44th Street

The negative economic effects of Prohibition could be felt beyond the gates of America's breweries. Many related industries, like restaurants also suffered. Delmonico's, a famous restaurant in Manhattan, was forced to close one of its locations on 44th Street. Countless other businesses faced a similar fate.

Monte's Venetian Room

One of Prohibition's stated goals was to reduce crime in the city. In reality, it made crime worse because it provided an outlet for organized crime to function. During the Prohibition era, the iconic image of the mobster emerged. Infamous figures like Al Capone got their start on the streets of Brooklyn and expanded their operations from minor street gang to organized crime syndicate once the production and sale of alcohol became illegal. Who better to provide for Americans' illicit needs than gangsters and mobsters? Monte's Venetian Room, near the Gowanus Canal established itself as a Speakeasy during Prohibition and became a popular watering spot for some of New York's most notorious mobsters.

Pete's Tavern

This storefront was a typical Speakeasy during Prohibition. Although the sale of alcohol remained illegal, many taverns and saloons skirted the law by operating secret bars. The storefront would be another business, but in the back of the building or in the basement beer and liquor was served. Interested customers would come in the front door, quietly speak the password and then gain admittance into the clandestine bar. Pete's Tavern's bar operations were hidden behind a flower shop!

Yale Club

In 1919, the year before Prohibition went into effect, James Walker, the future mayor of New York and a staunch opponent of Prohibition believed the movement was nothing more than a campaign to "take a glass of beer away from the workingman while allowing the rich to have their cellars filled with wine." This prediction largely came true. Wealthy Americans continued to drink in upscale locations. While fictional, the scenes described in the Great Gatsby help paint a picture of what Prohibition was like for those in the upper class. Ordinary people had to go through more effort to find a drink. Some became bootleggers, who made their own alcohol in bathtubs and basements. Others ventured into speakeasies for a pint.

Plaza Hotel

Prohibtion existed throughout the Roaring Twenties, but it persisted into the 1930s and the Great Depression. During an economic depression, Prohibtion cost the government millions in largely unsuccessful enforcement efforts. Not only was the law unpopular, but it was unsuccessful too! As you might imagine, many Depression-era New Yorkers wanted a drink. This image captures the "Beer for Taxation" parade, sometimes also called the "We Want Beer" Parade. It was led by New York City Mayor James J. Walker in 1932. Walker had been a long-time opponent of Prohibition. The parade, one of the greatest demonstrations in the City's history, demanded that the Eighteenth Amendment be repealed to help balance the federal budget and decrease the unemployment rate. This particular march, along with protests across the nation propelled the passage of the 21st Amendment, which finally repealed Prohibition in 1933.