Prohibition: Cause and Effect
Laying Down the Law on Liquor
What was Prohibition?
Prohibition began in 1920 and was a period in U.S. history in which the manufacturing, sales and transportation of liquor was made illegal. During this period in time, speakeasies (establishments that sold alcohol illegally), glamor and gangsters were flourishing. It was a time when even the average citizen broke the law.
Gangsters of the 1920s
Gangsters were everywhere during this time period, most notably Al Capone and his organized crime syndicate that took advantage of the era of Prohibition.
Farewell, Liquor
Liquor barrels are being emptied into the lake at Elk Lake, Ontario.
The 21st Amendment
It wasn't until December 5, 1933 when the 21st amendment to the U.S. Constitution would be ratified, signally the end to a chaotic era.
The Roaring Twenties: Gangsters, Liquor and Al Capone
Al Capone was a notorious gangster of this era. Using prohibition as an ally, he forged an empire in Chicago. At 26-year-olds, Capone was in charge of brothels, night clubs, dance halls, race tracks, gambling establishments, restaurants, speakeasies, breweries and distillieries. Capone was known for his generosity, he would frequently do things such as tip waiters $100 and opened some of the first soup kitchens during the Great Depression.