The Rise of the Speakeasy During Prohibition in the United States

On May 24, 1893, the Anti-Saloon League was founded in Ohio. This was the beginning of the end of alcohol manufacture and consumption in the United States, or so it was thought.

The movement led to the 18th Amendment which prohibited alcohol and as you know, when something becomes illegal, people will find ways to get around it and continue to do the illegal act. With that, the Speakeasy was born.

This website will cover the Temperance Movement, Prohibition, the Speakeasy and other items related to the era. Hopefully, there is something interesting here for you.

Please feel free to participate if you would like and also please comment below, I would love to hear from you.

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The Anti-Saloon League started in Ohio in 1893. It was formed as a way to support temperance against alcohol and to try to enact a growing movement towards prohibiting alcohol or what we know today as "Prohibition."

There were numerous rallies and also attempts at legislation and it seemed that a lot of America was in favor of Prohibition. Famous individuals, such as Carrie Nation, led the fight against alcohol and its evils.

In 1918, the Temperance movement was won, at least temporarily. The Volstead Act paved the way for Congress to pass the 18th Amendment, making alcohol manufacture and consumption illegal in the United States.

During the period from 1920-1933, alcohol was illegally manufactured and consumed. Most do not know that auto racing and NASCAR actually originated from bootleggers who learned how to increase the speeds of their cars mechanically so they could outrun the law. They then decided to see who had the fastest cars by racing each other in fields.

During Prohibition, the Mafia and mobsters had illegal alcohol joints and these were named "Speakeasies." The term of "Speakeasy" is thought to have originated in the 1880's when some States had already enacted dry legislation and the owners of illegal bars told their patrons to "speak easy" so they would not be heard and cause the establishment to be shut down.

Depending on what historian you listen to, many think that Prohibition was one of the causes of the crash of the economy during the Depression era.

In 1933, Prohibition was repealed and the Temperance Leagues were dissolved.

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Hub of Illegal Activity During the Prohibition Era

During the Prohibition Era, Calumet City, Illinois was a hub for illegal activities. Al Capone actually had a home here and from 1919-1933, numerous bootleggers made their home here. It was easy to make a living in speakeasies, gambling and prostitution because the police were "on the take" and turned their heads to this illegal activity.

Long before Las Vegas, Calumet City was nicknamed the original "Sin City." After the repeal of prohibition, many of the speakeasies were turned into nightclubs. Most of these were run by organized crime and many were owned by Al Capone.

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When I was young, I lived in the Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois in the town of Calumet City. My interest in the Mafia and Mobsters stemmed from seeing the original episodes of "The Untouchables," on television starring Robert Stack.

My Grandmother lived within walking distance of downtown and an old boarded-up tavern. I used to be able to walk there and peer through the boards. Obviously, this was much later than the ending of prohibition but this tavern was used as a Speakeasy during the Prohibition period.

Looking inside, I saw the cash register at the end of the bar, old red chrome barstools and some drinking glasses on the bar. All was covered in a thick coat of dust and cobwebs.

I pictured, in my mind, a time when there were actually people in there. There was smoking, drinking and dancing. I still noticed a smell of stale smoke and what I believed to be alcohol seeping from the cracks and the old boards.

I imagined that all the men and women were in high fashion and the girls were "Flappers" from the Roaring '20s and I imaged some of them were Moll girls. The men were dapper and wore cufflinks in their shirts and their hair was worn slicked back. The people were carrying on with conversation as the music in the background played loudly. I imagined that the conversation was about illegal activity that they were planning and that the partying went on until the wee hours of the morning.

I used to think of this whenever I walked past that building and I still remember it to this day, although I have not been back there since the early 1970s and am doubtful if the building is still standing.

That experience and memory used to give me an eerie sensation, as a young girl, fantasizing about the corruption of the Underworld. In the early 1970s, when the Godfather premiered, I couldn't wait to go see it and it gave me flashbacks to that old abandoned building, that was once a Speakeasy.

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What do you think of marijuana prohibition?

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