Prohibition
...ohol. They focused mainly on closing the saloon and the illegal speakeasies. They used what they called “lobbying techniques.” With these they printed anti-drinking brochures, appealed church members for support, and lobbied businessmen and lawmakers. Their lobbying efforts ended up convincing 28 states to adopt prohibition laws. Now that alcohol was illegal people seemed to it more than ever. It became extremely easy to get a hold of. The first way was to make and distribute your own alcohol. This was known as “bootlegging.” These smugglers at the time were known to wear knee high boots that they smuggled bottles of alcohol in. This was an easy way to defeat the attempted to regulate liquor. Bootleggers smuggled liquor from overseas, stole it from government warehouses, and produced their own. This self made alcohol was called “moonshine” and was very potent making it dangerous to drink. This liquor was made in homemade stills “by the light of the moon.” The second way people were able to obtain alcohol during this period was though speakeasies. Speakeasies were illegal bars, shops, and/or dance clubs that sold liquor. The speakeasy got its name due to the person trying to get in having to whisper a code word or name through a slot in a locked door. These establishments were kept very secretive, usually located in a places such as the back end of barbershops or hardware stores. Once inside there was plenty of alcohol and much entertainment such as singing and dancing. The third way people could easily get illegal alcohol was through gangsters. Gangsters thrived in the 1920’s. They had enough money to control businesses such as the speakeasies and bootlegging. They were also able to bribe those of authority. Gangsters controlled most of the economy during prohibition, earning millions of dollars each year. Al Capone (Scarface) was the lead gangster in Chicago during the prohibition era. In 1920 Capone was invited to Chicago by his friend Torrio to join the Colosimo mob. In 1925 Capone became the leader of the biggest mafia in Chicago when Torrio was badly wounded due to an assassination attempt and retired. In those 5 years of working for Torrio, Al Capone gained much experience and a well known reputation. He controlled most of the alcoho...