What Happened During The Prohibition Of Alcohol In The US?

During prohibition, illegal bars, called speakeasies (you had to talk quietly about them) sprang up in all US cities. In New York there were 30,000 by 1926, twice the number of legal bars before prohibition. Some masqueraded as theatres or coffee shops. Many people made their own 'moonshine' in out of the way places (like woods) in their cellars or in disused warehouses. Gangsters controlled the Bootlegging industry and bought in liquor from Canada or Mexico or made their own. Much of the bootleg liquor was lethal, being either too strong or containing impurities. It killed or blinded many people. Some names of brands were 'Jack Ass Brandy' and 'Soda Pop Moon'.

A department of the F.B.I was set up to enforce Prohibition. Led by J.F Kramer, it employed 1500 agents and later 3,000. But they had little success against organised syndicates. Many officers took bribes from the bootleggers. Although they raided speakeasies, others re-appeared just as quickly.

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