Prohibition: The Noble Experiment
 So convinced were they that alcohol was the cause of virtually all crime that, on the eve of
Prohibition, some towns actually sold their jails. 1
 During the early 1800's, temperance societies offered two pledge options: moderation in
drinking or total abstinence. After those who pledged the preferred total abstinence began
writing "T.A." on their pledge cards, they became known as "teetotalers." 2
 Although the temperance movement claimed Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745/46-1813) as one of its
primary inspirations, he actually promoted moderation rather than prohibition. The temperance
movement often had difficulty getting facts right. 3
 Early temperance writers often insisted that because of their high blood alcohol content,
"habitual drunkards" could spontaneously combust and burn to death from inside. 4
 A temperance publication wrote of drinking parents who gave birth to small children with a
"yen for alcohol so strong that the mere sight of a bottle shaped like a whiskey flask brought
them whining for a nip." 5
 One temperance "scientific authority" implied that inhaling alcohol vapors might lead to
defective offspring for at least three generations. 6
Because the temperance movement taught that alcohol was a poison, it insisted that school books never
mention the contradictory fact that alcohol was commonly prescribed by physicians for medicinal and
health purposes. 7
Temperance Leader Lucius Manlius Sargent tried to get secondary schools, colleges and universities to
eleminate all references to alcoholic beverages in ancient Greek and Latin texts. 7a
Because the temperance movement taught that drinking alcohol was sinful, it was forced to confront
the contrary fact that Jesus drank wine. Its solution was to insist that Jesus drank grape juice rather than
wine. 8
During Prohibition, temperance activists hired a scholar to rewrite the Bible by removing all references
to alcohol beverage. 8.a
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) strongly supported Prohibition and its strict enforcement. 8.b
The Bible says to "use a little wine for thy stomach's sake" (1 Timothy 5:23). This admonition caused
serioius problems for temperance writers, who argued that alcohol was a poison and that drinking it
was a sin. So they insisted that the Bible was actually advising people to rub alcohol on their
abdomens. 8.c
Prohibitionists often advocated strong measures against those who did not comply with Prohibition
(1920-1933). One suggested that the government distribute poisoned alcohol beverages through
bootleggers (sellers of illegal alcohol) and acknowledged that several hundred thousand Americans
would die as a result, but thought the cost well worth the enforcement of Prohibition. Others suggested
that those who drank should be:
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hung by the tongue beneath an airplane and flown over the country
exiled to concentration camps in the Aleutian Islands
excluded from any and all churches
forbidden to marry
tortured
branded
whipped
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sterilized
tattooed
placed in bottle-shaped cages in public squares
forced to swallow two ounces of caster oil
executed, as well as their progeny to the fourth generation. 9
The Real McCoy
Bill McCoy was a bootlegger well known for selling quality imported goods: the original "real
McCoy." 10
The Speakeasy
"Bathtub gin" got its name from the fact that alcohol, glycerine and juniper juice was mixed in bottles
or jugs too tall to be filled with water from a sink tap so they were commonly filled under a bathtub tap.
17
The speakeasy got its name because one had to whisper a code word or name through a slot in a locked
door to gain admittance. 18
Prohibition led to widespread disrespect for law. New York City alone had about thirty
thousand (yes, 30,000) speakeasies. And even public leaders flaunted their disregard for the
law. They included the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, who owned and
operated an illegal still. 19
Some desperate and unfortunate people during Prohibition falsely believed that the undrinkable alcohol
in antifreeze could be made safe and drinkable by filtering it through a loaf of bread. It couldn't and
many were seriously injured or killed as a result. 20
In Los Angeles, a jury that had heard a bootlegging case was itself put on trial after it drank the
evidence. The jurors argued in their defense that they had simply been sampling the evidence to
determine whether or not it contained alcohol, which they determined it did. However, because they
consumed the evidence, the defendant charged with bootlegging had to be acquitted. 21
When the ship, Washington, was launched, a bottle of water rather than Champagne, was
ceremoniously broken across its bow. 22
National Prohibition not only failed to prevent the consumption of alcohol, but led to the
extensive production of dangerous unregulated and untaxed alcohol, the development of
organized crime, increased violence, and massive political corruption. Amazingly, some people
today insist that Prohibition was a success! 23
Although Prohibition was repealed seven decades ago, there are still hundreds of dry counties across
the United States today. 24
The human body produces its own supply of alcohol naturally on a continous basis, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Therefore, we always have alcohol in our bodies. . . and no one waits until the age
of 21 before producing this alcohol. 25
Prohibition clearly benefited some people. Notorious bootlegger Al Capone made
$60,000,000...that's sixty million dollars...per year (untaxed!) while the average industrial
worker earned less than $1,000 per year. 27
But not everyone benefitted. By the time Prohibition was repealed, nearly 800 gangsters in
the City of Chicago alone had been killed in bootleg-related shootings. And, of course,
thousands of citizens were killed, blinded, or paralyzed as a result of drinking
contaminated bootleg alcohol. 28
The “Father of Prohibition,” Congressman Andrew J. Volstead, was defeated shortly after Prohibition
was imposed. 30
Repeal occurred at 4:31 p.m. on December 5, 1933, ending 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours and
32.5 minutes of Prohibition.
"What America needs now is a drink" declared President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the end of
Prohibition. 31
Prohibitionists didn't give up easily. They even tried to enforce Prohibition for as long as ten years after
its repeal by the Twenty-first Amendment. 29
1. List two examples of misinformation that temperance (people who don't drink
alcohol) writers told the public.
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2. List one negative effect of Prohibition.
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3. The 18th Ammendment was repealed, and Prohibition did not succeed as a law.
What do you think would have to happen differently for it to succeed?
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4. How are God's commandments different from our government's laws?
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5. Do you think that we should have laws to hold us to a moral standard? Explain.
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