Tomorrow is National Repeal Day, which recognizes the end of Prohibition in the United States. Prohibition was the “legal prevention of the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States from 1920 to 1933.”
Background of Prohibition
Prohibition became effective on January 17, 1920, with the Volstead Act, which implemented the 18th Amendment. The temperance movement is generally considered the impetus for Prohibition.
At first, Prohibition “worked” as “liquor consumption dropped, arrests for drunkenness fell, and the price for illegal alcohol rose higher than the average worker could afford.” However, there was a deep underground market for illegal alcohol, as evidenced by bootlegging and speakeasies. In addition, Prohibition contributed greatly to the rise of organized crime (mobs).
Enforcement of Prohibition
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was responsible for enforcing Prohibition under the Volstead Act. “Violations could mean fines of up to $1,000 and months behind bars.” Enforcement was encumbered by “corruption, lack of training, and underfunding.” In 1929, enforcement shifted from the IRS to the Department of Justice, which focused on organized crime in Chicago. This led to the capture and conviction of bootlegger Al Capone for tax evasion. The U.S. Coast Guard was also involved in enforcement, charged with monitoring the coastline for smuggling operations.
Repeal of Prohibition
Polls of the public suggested a significant number of people were dissatisfied with Prohibition in 1922, and this number increased dramatically by 1926. Shortly after taking office in 1929, President Hoover appointed a commission to investigate enforcement issues and a possible repeal of Prohibition. The commission recommended modifications to the 18th Amendment, but not a repeal. At the time the recommendations came out, America was in the midst of the Great Depression. Some believe that this contributed to the repeal efforts, as they thought it would “mean new jobs, business expansion and tax revenues.”
The 1932 presidential election saw Roosevelt win over Hoover in a record landslide victory, based in part on a pro-repeal platform. Congress passed a draft of the 21st Amendment to repeal prohibition in February 1933, and nine months later, enough states had ratified it for it to become law. However, states and local governments were allowed to maintain prohibition if they chose to do so. And even today, federal law prohibits production of hard liquor at home.
Further Reading - Focus on Texas
Texas State Historical Association: Handbook of Texas - Prohibition
Texas Almanac - Prohibition Elections in Texas
