18th Amendment and Speakeasies

By Devon Millington and Robert Wesner

So in the 1920’s there were over 500,000 speakeasies in the USA. Speakeasies were bars. A big part of the 18th amendment had to do with speakeasies.

Speakeasies were hidden bars in stores or houses that were used to sell alcohol during Prohibition. In 1920 when the Eighteenth Amendment put Prohibition into effect, public consumption of liquor was driven underground into the speakeasy, and brought for the first time into the home. Speakeasies where in bookstores, homes, corner stores. Some speakeasies were open during the day but most of the speakeasies where open at night during the 1920’s. Why did this happen this happened since the alcohol was banned during Prohibition. The only way speakeasies could have run from bootleggers and rum running.

Now that i told you about the 18th amendment and speakeasies. I hope that my essay taught you things about the 18th amendment and speakeasies.

By,Devon Millington

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work cited

Brenner, Leslie. "Cocktail Party." Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, edited by Solomon H. Katz, vol. 1, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003, pp. 424-425. World History in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3403400146/WHIC?u=pl2634&xid=14eebefe. Accessed 19 Jan. 2017.

"Eighteenth Amendment." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, edited by Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk, Gale, 1999. U.S. History in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ1667500200/UHIC?u=pl2634&xid=7a83c6a6. Accessed 19 Jan. 2017.

"Prohibition." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, edited by Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 2, Gtale, 2015, pp. 1063-1066. U.S. History in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3611000729/UHIC?u=pl2634&xid=1811eb6a. Accessed 19 Jan. 2017.

The 18th amendment was the amendment that banned all alcohol everywhere and in everything such as putting it in simple things like perfume. This made the public very angry and the crime rate shot up with gangsters selling alcohol whenever they could. These 13 years of prohibition was filled with crime, smuggling and secrets.

The result of the 18th amendment was in total over 500,000 people arrested for drinking or smuggling booze. Mobsters would smuggle alcohol to local secret bars called speakeasies. These speakeasies were sometimes underground and required a password to gain access to come in and drink. Gangsters would use a special technique called bootlegging where they would stuff bottles of booze in their boots. From this they would deliver it to the speakeasies and get paid. Some people did not have to go to speakeasies they would not even have to leave their home people would make their own alcohol in their bathtubs. Mobsters made millions selling and smuggling all types of alcohol. One of the most known bootlegger was George Remus who reeled five million dollars in total smuggling liquor. For the Mafia a total of 800 gang members were killed in mafia warfare during the prohibition.

In result the 18th amendment was a huge fail across the nation and was repealed in 1933. Prohibition will most likely never return to the United States ever again.

By, Robert Wesner

Work Sited-

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/uhic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=true&displayGroupName=Reference&currPage=&scanId=&query=&source=&prodId=UHIC&search_within_results=&p=UHIC%3AWHIC&mode=view&catId=&u=pl2634&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3401800513&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=true

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

George Remus

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