“The Noble Experiment”1 of Prohibition in the USA: its historical and

cultural aspects
Nowadays, any measures that involve certain restrictions are unavoidably accompanied by
arguments such as “Prohibitions do not work” or “Forbidden fruit always goes good”.
Those who don’t believe in usefulness of any restrictions usually like to prove their point
by giving an example of probably the most famous prohibition in history – the Prohibition in the
United States, which was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation,
transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933 (George, Richards). They
claim that it is not possible to get rid of something dangerous or unhealthy completely. By
banning anything, we just transfer it from legal to illegal, and this usually only exacerbates the
problem. Therefore, the adoption of prohibitive measures can be justified only if the balance of
consequences is positive. But, the problem is that the scale which can be used to measure such a
balance doesn’t exist and it is hardly possible to accurately evaluate the consequences of the
implementation of any kind of prohibition.
As to the Prohibition of alcohol consumption in the US, there are two opposing opinions in
society. The first one is that the Prohibition was a complete failure. For example, Thomas
Fleming, a former president of the Society of American Historians, in an article published in The
Wall Street Journal in 2010, claims that the Prohibition had a harmful effect on society ”On Dec.
5, 1933, Americans liberated themselves from a nightmare called Prohibition by repealing the
18th Amendment to the Constitution" (Fleming 2010).
On the other hand, there are also a lot of supporters of the Prohibition, for example, the
Prohibition Party, which is the oldest of the “third parties” in the USA and is still operating. In
2016 the party even had its own candidate in the US presidential election. Organizations like this
one usually describe the Prohibition in positive tones and say that not only it was necessary in
the 1920s, but it is very relevant now. And arguments they use are very persuasive - „Alcohol is
America's #1 narcotic drug problem. In fact, it is a national health crisis. Currently, there are
nearly 40,000,000 alcoholics in America and one in every four Americans under the age of 30 is
an alcoholic” (2020 Party Platform of the Prohibition Party).

1
The phrase belongs to President Herbert Hoover, who mentioned it in a letter: "Our country has
deliberately undertaken a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-
reaching in purpose." (18 th and 21st Amendments, 2010).
 The issue of alcohol consumption in the USA has never been easy. During colonial times,
among those who decided to go overseas and to try their luck in the new country were people
with different biographies. Some of them loved to drink. Also, it was very common for doctors
in the colonies to recommended wine and whiskey as medicine, regardless of the age of a patient
(sometimes alcohol was prescribed even for children). On the other hand, already in the middle
of the XVII century, the colonists began to notice that the consumption of alcoholic beverages
can cause problems - for example, alcohol could make Indians violent, which was not typical of
them. This made people consider introducing a restriction of the sale of alcohol to indigenous
people. The first state to introduce such a restriction was Massachusetts. (Lender, Martin, 1987,
p. 26).
In the late XVIII century, Benjamin Rush, who was one of the most famous public figures
and scientists in the United States, (and also a signatory of the Declaration of Independence), in
his scientific works proved that consumption of alcohol beverages harms human health. (Lender,
Martin, 1987, p. 36). Those discoveries of Rush made a huge influence on the society and in
1789 in Connecticut farmers created a temperance association. Soon, anti-alcohol public
organizations appeared in eight states. At first, the activities of such associations came down to
periodic meetings and were not very effective. But the situation changed when in 1826 in Boston
the American Temperance Society (also known as the American Society for the Promotion of
Temperance) was registered. The organization in a couple of years created thousands of units
bringing together huge amount people, among which protestant preachers were probably the
most active members (Lender, Martin, 1987, p. 42).
In 1851, the movement was big enough to start lobbying for banning the production and
sale of alcohol in Maine, and later in several other states (Lender, Martin, 1987, p. 68). However,
during the Civil War, the activities which helped to promote sobriety were not as popular as
before (for obvious reasons – the government, as well as people, had much more difficult
problems to solve). But after the war ended, sobriety supporters renewed their activities. And
they had reasons for putting even more effort into their work - the level of alcohol consumption
in the USA at the end of the 19th century was extremely high (National Commission on
Marihuana and Drug Abuse).
The American Temperance Society was not the only organization of such a type.
Representatives of American Protestant communities in 1895 created a new association aimed at
decreasing the level of the consumption of alcohol - the Anti-Saloon League. It quickly became a
powerful organization operating throughout the United States (National Commission on
Marihuana and Drug Abuse).
The fight against alcohol consumption was very successful. The most important feature of
it was that the prohibition of alcohol was supported by powerful groups both among Republicans
and Democrats, which was vital for the next step - lobbying for an amendment.
On January 16, 1919, the 18th Amendment was ratified ( it took effect on January 16,
1920). This meant the prohibition of manufacturing, selling, and transportation of alcohol
(though the consumption and possession were not prohibited). To clarify terms and conditions on
which the Prohibition will work, Congress passed the Volstead Act. However President
Woodrow Wilson criticized it and tried to veto the bill, but his veto was overridden both by
House of Representatives and The Senat (George, Richards).
The restrictive measures were extremely successful a first. Immediately after the enactment
of the 18th Amendment in the United States, breweries and distilleries were closed. The
consumption of alcohol in the US decreased, cases of dangerous diseases associated with alcohol
became less common. Americans began to skip work less and less commit crimes under alcohol
intoxication (National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse).
However, when the loopholes in the legislation were figured out the positive effects began
to disappear. For example, the production and storage of alcohol for personal needs were not
prohibited. Some people used it and started buying alcohol from the owners of small-scale
household productions and reselling it. These clandestine alcohol dealers were called
bootleggers. Not only their activities were illegal, but to make things worse some of them didn't
care about their reputation and made alcoholic beverages from industrial alcohol. This caused
severe poisoning, blindness, and even death (“Prohibition”).
Another loophole in the law was permission to use alcohol as a medicine. Whiskey,
brandy, and rum in the early twentieth century were officially considered drugs, so
manufacturing it for the needs of pharmacies and medical establishments was legal. It is no
wonder that at the times of the Prohibition the number of “alcohol prescriptions” among
American doctors rose sharply. Some pharmacies even turned into clandestine bars (National
Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse).
 Such bars were opened also in other places, for example, barbershops. They were called
"speakeasy". The term was created by bartenders, who asked their guests to speak quietly when
they made an order of alcohol (Collins 2012, p. 4). The bars of the Speakeasy category did not
look like the usual modern bars; rather, they were nightclubs where girls in colorful costumes
danced on stage, music played (sometimes, the whole orchestra was invited), and an atmosphere
of unstoppable fun was always present largely due to “the main hero of the night” - a cocktail.
Some of the dealers made a huge fortune on underground liquor trade. For example, Joseph
Kennedy (the father of the future president of the United States), who was one of the most
famous bootleggers. His business was based on the import of alcohol from Canada and
cooperating with mafia for selling it. The future financier and diplomat worked with legends of
the American crime world, such as Frank Costello and Dutch Schultz (How Joseph Kennedy
made his fortune (hint: it wasn’t bootlegging), 2019). Single-working bootleggers usually were
not very successful, as they were “cleaned” out of the streets by big criminal gangs. This way the
Mafia managed to drastically increase their influence on American society. But as there were
many mafia clans operating in the same illegal field, identification of areas of influence on the
alcohol market turned into criminal wars – streets of American cities often saw brutal shootings
between members of different mafia clans (18 th and 21st Amendments, 2010 ).
But that is not the only harm that gangsters did to society. What was perhaps even worse, is
that they raised the level of corruption to an unprecedented level. Everyone from ordinary
policemen to most influential politicians could be bribed, which allowed the illegal production
and sale of alcohol to reach an industrial scale.
Due to the ban on alcohol, criminal groups, which took under their control everything
connected with producing and selling alcohol, received huge funds at their disposal. Not
respecting any moral norms, these parts of American society led a luxurious life, not even trying
to hide their sources of income and their disregard for traditional moral code. Not only was mafia
not ashamed of their lifestyle, but they were also proud of it. Being a gangster has become
prestigious, though a very dangerous profession. This lifestyle was the reason for creating loads
of city legends about the most famous gangsters who made a fortune in the sale of alcohol. The
one most frequently seen in films and books is Alphonse Gabriel, widely known as Al Capone
(Lender, Martin, 1987, p. 26).
 But the days of the Mafia’s greatest prosperity were soon over. In 1929 the stock market
crash occurred, which led to the Great Depression (National Commission on Marihuana and
Drug Abuse). The government had to reduce spending and increase income to the budget. It was
already clear that authorities were not able to get rid of alcohol production and trade completely,
which meant it should be taken under control. Also, in order to bring money to the budget, this
profitable business had to be legalized, and the idea of repealing the amendment became
extremely relevant.
In 1933 Franklin Roosevelt became the President of the United States. One of his main
campaign promises was to abolish the Prohibition, and he kept his word. Later that year beer and
vines were allowed to produce in the USA. And on December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was
adopted in the US Constitution, which main task was to repeal the 18th amendment and, with it,
put an end to the era of the Prohibition (National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse).
The 21st amendment is very unique – it is the only amendment in the US Constitution, which was
adopted in order to repeal one of the previously ratified amendments.
The days of The Prohibition are long ago over, but they are definitely not forgotten.
Gangster culture, as well as speakeasies and bootleggers, are still alive in numerous films and
books. Borsalino hats, machine guns, ties, and cigars, but also short female haircuts as well as
short dresses often serve as inspiration for popular culture to picture the 1920s as a huge, stylish
celebration that seemed to last forever. New musical styles, like jazz and blues, become very
popular. These genres are very suitable for dancing. And as dances became more and more
daring, so did morals.
But the era of the roaring twenties is famous not only because of the development of the
entertainment industry. Is was also a very fruitful period for writers and artists. For example, one
of the most elegant architectural styles - Art Deco - became very popular. As to literature, there
were two big movements. The first one, the Harlem Renaissance, was a rapid growth of African-
American culture, which included literature and arts.
The second one was the Lost Generation, which contributed a lot to the way we see the
Prohibition now. When we think about Roaring 20s, we imagine the magical time of the Great
Gatsby - the hero of Francis Scott Fitzgerald's most famous novel. Gatsby himself became the
real symbol of the 1920s - his life was luxurious but short, just like the time of the Prohibition.
But even regardless of how short it was, it left an incredibly significant mark on the formation of
modern society in the USA, and, perhaps, throughout the world.
The example of the Great Gatsby leads us to the main lesson world learned from the
Prohibition - the realization that human nature cannot be changed. People continued to pursue
pleasures, even dangerous ones, despite any laws. The Roaring Twenties demonstrated that a
person would do anything for entertainment and fun - and any prohibition policy only contributes
to the dissemination of things that were planned to be eradicated.
 References

Collins, Joseph. 2012. Social Relevance of Speakeasies: Prohibition, Flappers, Harlem, and
Change. (https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/3820) (date of access: 12 Jan.
2020)

Fleming, Thomas. 2010. “Prohibition: A Cautionary Tale”, The Washington Post,

George, Robert, David Richards. “The Eighteenth Amendment”, National Constitution Center,
(https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/interpretation/amendment-
xviii/interps/169) (date of access: 17 Dec. 2019)

“History of Alcohol Prohibition”, National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse,

“How Joseph Kennedy made his fortune (hint: it wasn’t bootlegging)”. 2019. In: History,
(https://www.history.com/news/joseph-kennedy-wealth-alcohol-prohibition) (date of
access: 3 Dec. 2019)

Mark Edward Lender, James Kirby Martin. 1987. Drinking In America: A History. New York:
The Free Press.

“Prohibition”. In: Encyclopedia Britannica. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/prohibition-

Prohibition Party. 2020 Party Platform of the Prohibition Party, accessed December 2020,
(https://www.prohibitionparty.org/platform) (date of access: 3 Jan. 2020)
“18 th and 21st Amendments”. 2010. In: History, (https://www.history.com/topics/united-
states-constitution/18th-and-21st-amendments) (date of access: 3 Dec. 2019)