Last Call: Prohibition and the Alcoholic Republic
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LAST CALL: PROHIBITION AND THE ALCOHOLIC REPUBLIC Kevin P. Dincher www.kevindincher.com PROHIBITION The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald Leonardo DiCaprio 2013 Warner Baxter 1926 Robert Redford - 1974 Alan Ladd - 1949 PROHIBITION Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition Daniel Okrent PROHIBITION Prohibition Ken Burns and Lynn Novick PROHIBITION Handout Recommended General Class Reading Outline Notes and other Resources www.kevindincher.com/prohibition2 The Noble Experiment PROHIBITION "Slavery was our worst idea. I'm not sure that Prohibition was second, but it's really up there.“ Ken Burns Hawaiian Gazette PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT 18th Amendment 1920 – 1933 Nationwide ban on the sale, production, importation, and transportation of “intoxicating liquors” Killed the nation’s 5th largest industry Handout, page 4 PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT 1907 – 1948: Prince Edward Island Shorter periods in other Canadian provinces 1914 – 1925: Russia—Soviet Union 1915 – 1933: Iceland Beer prohibited until 1989 1916 – 1927: Norway 1919: Hungary 1919 – 1932: Finland 1920 – 1933: United States Nathaniel Currier (1846) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT 18th Amendment: Unique Encode social policy in Constitution Permanent – would be extremely difficult to repeal Constitutional amendment limiting the rights of citizens PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT US Constitution: a functioning government that does not unjustly infringe upon liberties Structure of government General roles, responsibilities and powers of branches of government Basic operating procedures PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Changes/Amendments to US Constitution Adjustments to government 12th 16th Amendment (1804): revised presidential elections Amendment (1913): income tax 17th Amendment (1913): direct election of US Senators Clarifications 14th Amendment (1868): defines citizenship Limit government’s power Bill of Rights 15th Amendment (1870): denial of vote based on race 19th Amendment (1920): denial of vote based on gender 26th Amendment (1971): denial of vote to those 18+ PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Changes/Amendments to US Constitution Only 2 amendments apply directly to private citizens 13th Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude (except as punishment for a crime) 18th Amendment (1865) Amendment (1919) Nationwide ban on the production, importation, sale and transportation of “intoxicating liquors” PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Volstead Act The National Prohibition Act Define “intoxicating liquors” Establish penalties Set up enforcement Andrew Volstead (1860 – 1947) • R-Minnesota (1903 – 1923) • Chair, House Judiciary Committee (1919-1923) • Legal Advisor, Bureau of Prohibition (1923 – 1933) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Volstead Act Define “intoxicating liquors” “Intoxicating liquors” = 0.5% Cider: 1.2% to 8.5% Beer: 4% to 6% Nyquil: 10% Wine: 10% to 15% Distilled Liquors: 35% to 60% PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Volstead Act Set Penalties First offenders 6 months + $1000 fine Jones Law (1929): 5 years + $10,000 fine PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Volstead Act Establish Bureau enforcement of Prohibition 1920 – 1927: Bureau of Internal Revenue 1927 – 1933: Department of the Treasury (Prohibition Unit) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Prohibition Agents Elliott Ness and the Untouchables Al Capone Frank Hamer Bonnie and Clyde (1934) Tom Threepersons John “Lone Wolf” Millan Pat Roche Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith 4932 arrests with 95% conviction rate 5 million bottle Eliot Ness (1903 – 1957) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Izzy and Moe "Einstein Theory of Rum Snooping." PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Izzy and Moe PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Izzy and Moe 1985 TV Movie Jackie Gleason Art Carney PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Izzy and Moe PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT 1921 – 1929: U.S. Assistant Attorney General Violations of the Volstead Act Federal Taxation Bureau of Federal Prisons “First Lady of Law” Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1889 – 1963) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT 1889: Born in Kansas 1911: Tempe Normal School Arizona State University California teacher Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1889 – 1963) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT 1916: USC – law degree 1917: Master’s degree First public defender of women 2000+ cases of prostitution Testimony: both men and women Revised community property laws World War I: draft cases Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1889 – 1963) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT 1921: 2nd woman appointed at Assistance Attorney General Highest ranking woman in federal government Volstead Act Federal Prisons Anderson Federal Prison (WV) Taxation Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1889 – 1963) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Opposed Prohibition – but aggressively upheld Volstead Act Prosecuted 48,734 Prohibitionrelated cases from in a single year 39,072 resulted in convictions. In addition, and the Volstead Act. More 40 cases before the Supreme Court Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1889 – 1963) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT 1929: resigned Inside Prohibition Critical of federal enforcement Legal counsel for California Fruit Industries Vine-Glo Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1889 – 1963) PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT PROHIBITION: THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT Boardwalk Empire (HBO) Julianne Nicholson Twist of Lemon By Rosalie Schwartz PROHIBITION “How Dry We Weren’t” PROHIBITION – GAVE US THE COCKTAIL Early 1800s Cocktails = liquor with honey, juice, bitters, other flavors Generally drank whiskey, beer and cider Prohibition Switch from whiskey to gin Easier/faster to make Adding sweet flavors Masked the foul taste Easier to drink quickly PROHIBITION – GAVE US THE NIGHTCLUB 1800s 1900 - 1920 Working class: honky tonks and juke joints Prohibition Blind Pig (Blind Tiger) Speakeasy Repeal Nighclubs (Big Bands) PROHIBITION – GAVE US NASCAR PROHIBITION – GAVE US NASCAR 1903: Daytona Beach 1920 – 1933: Prohibition Race between Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton Bootleg whiskey made primarily in the Appalachia Distribution required small, fast vehicles to better evade the police. Drivers would modify their cars for speed and handling, as well as increased cargo capacity 1933: Repeal of Prohibition Southerners taste for moonshine; drivers continued "runnin' shine“ Evade the "revenuers“ – cars continued to improve By the late 1940s, races featuring these cars were being run for pride and profit. PROHIBITION – GAVE US NASCAR 1948: NASCAR founded in Daytona Beach Family owned and operated business 2004 17 of the top 20 regularly attended single-day sporting events in the world 75 million fans who spend over $3 billion annually PROHIBITION – GAVE US LAS VEGAS PROHIBITION – GAVE US LAS VEGAS Native Americans 1829 Las Vegas Valley 10,000 years ago Mexican traders 1844 John C. Fremont US Army Corps of Engineers Preparing for war with Mexico PROHIBITION – GAVE US LAS VEGAS 1850: Utah Territory 1855: Mormons Missionaries Convert the Paiute Indians Stopover: Mormon Corridor Wyoming Nevada Utah Colorado Mormon Corridor (1850 -1890) • Mormon Culture Region PROHIBITION – GAVE US LAS VEGAS 1850: Utah Territory 1855: Mormons Missionaries Convert the Paiute Indians Stopover: Mormon Corridor 1857-1858: Utah War Utah Expedition Utah Campaign Buchanan's Blunder Mormon War Mormon Rebellion Wyoming Nevada Utah Colorado PROHIBITION – GAVE US LAS VEGAS 1905: LV established as a railroad town Stopover on pioneer trails 1935: Hoover Dam PROHIBITION – GAVE US LAS VEGAS Bugsy Siegel (1906 – 1947) Prohibition: Bootlegger 1920s: Murder, Inc. 1930s: Hoover Dam construction 1933: Gambling/prostitution in Los Angeles 1936: Las Vegas 1946: Flamingo Hotel 1947: Murdered in Beverly Hills PROHIBITION – ORGANIZED CRIME Major impetus for spreading organized crime Created a new crime Previously legal businesses and legitimate business owners now became speakeasies and “blind pigs” Illegal liquor: other illegal activities PROHIBITION – ORGANIZED CRIME Major impetus for spreading organized crime Created a new crime Organized crime accumulation of massive sums of money for additional criminal enterprises “Criminal surcharge” – higher prices Escalation of “profit accumulation” PROHIBITION – ORGANIZED CRIME Major impetus for spreading organized crime Created a new crime Organized crime accumulation of massive sums of money for additional criminal enterprises Mob bosses attained a veneer of respectability Previously: “underworld” segregated from “respectable” PROHIBITION – ORGANIZED CRIME Major impetus for spreading organized crime Created a new crime Criminalized alcohol resulted in higher prices Organized accumulation of massive sums of money for additional criminal enterprises Mob bosses attained a veneer of respectability Institutionalized corruption From “discreet” to “overt” PROHIBITION – ORGANIZED CRIME United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce Kefauver Committee (1950-1951) 14 national hearings – conclusions: National organized crime syndicate did exist J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI had done little about it Local and state responses Eisenhower Administration Kennedy Administration 1970: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) allows the leaders of a syndicate to be tried for the crimes which they ordered others to do PROHIBITION – GAVE US LAS VEGAS OSCAR GOODMAN 1999 – 2011: Mayor of Las Vegas Defense attorney for leading organized crime figures Meyer Lansky Nicky Scarfo "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein Phil Leonetti, 'Lefty' Rosenthal Jamiel "Jimmy" Chagra "Tony the Ant" Spilotro
