Speakeasies
Speakeasies were clandestine bars that emerged in the United States during Prohibition, following the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1920, which banned the legal sale of alcohol. As traditional establishments like saloons and taverns closed, these underground venues began to flourish, providing a space for people to gather, socialize, and consume illicit alcoholic beverages. The term "speakeasy" likely originated from the need for patrons to be discreet about their activities to avoid detection by law enforcement. By the mid-1920s, thousands of speakeasies were operating nationwide, significantly contributing to organized crime, as criminal organizations took over the bootlegging operations that supplied these establishments.
Speakeasies played a pivotal role in shaping American culture during this period, influencing the growth of movements such as feminism and the flapper lifestyle, which offered women greater social freedom. Notable venues like the Stork Club and Twenty-One became renowned for their opulence and popularity, weathering law enforcement crackdowns due to their profitability. However, the violent clashes associated with bootlegging operations, exemplified by events like the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, highlighted the chaotic nature of this underground economy. Ultimately, speakeasies not only marked a significant chapter in America’s social history but also spurred discussions around civil rights and government regulation pertaining to alcohol consumption.
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Speakeasies
The proliferation of illicit nightclubs sparked bootlegging, liquor shipment hijacking, and political corruption as criminal organizations sought to provide the public with an uninterrupted supply of alcohol. Speakeasies, which have been referred to as the first nightclubs, also provided the momentum behind the growth of organized crime enterprises that spanned the nation.
After ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment in January 1920, saloons, taverns, bars, and many restaurants were no longer able to legally sell beer, wine, and hard liquor. Speakeasies began to open across the country, offering citizens the opportunity to purchase and consume illicit alcoholic beverages.
The origin of the term “speakeasy” is under debate, as some maintain the word was first used in Pennsylvania in 1888, when the state fee for operating a saloon was dramatically increased. Others claim the word originated during Prohibition with a saloon keepers who warned customers to “speak easy,” or quietly, to avoid detection by police.
Speakeasies operated throughout the United States and were managed by criminal organizations engaged in bootlegging to supply the public with alcohol. The growth of speakeasies was staggering: At least five thousand existed by 1922, and an estimated thirty thousand were in operation by the end of 1927. In New York City alone, it is estimated that five thousand speakeasies were operating by 1922.
Some speakeasies would become famous with businesses such as the Stork Club and Twenty-One reaping such enormous profits that they were able to withstand repeated closures by federal agents as customer demand made bootlegging a financially viable business.
Speakeasies were also the source of power and influence of such legendary mob bosses as Dutch Schultz, Frank Costello, Al Capone, Bugs Malone, and Dion O’Banion. Violence associated with bootlegging, protection of distilleries, and money laundering was commonplace, as were health-related incidents caused by tainted or questionable distilling practices.
Ultimately, the violence surrounding the operation of speakeasies would help the cause of anti-Prohibitionists. On February 14, 1929, in what would become known as the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, seven gangsters were gunned down in Chicago as they waited for a shipment of hijacked whiskey.
Impact
The speakeasies of the 1920s served an important function in the cultural development of the United States as avenues for civil disobedience and financial enterprise, as well as for the growth of federal law enforcement, political corruption, and organized crime. The growth of the automobile industry was aided by bootlegging, as was the development of feminism as seen in the flapper movement that provided women increased social freedom, much of which was exercised in speakeasies. Prohibition-era speakeasies were also in the forefront of a more consumer-oriented American culture.
Bibliography
Behr, Edward. Prohibition:Thirteen Years That Changed America. New York: Arcade Publishers, 2011.
Hirschfeld, Al, and Gordon Kahn. The Speakeasies of 1932. Milwaukee, Wis.: Glenn Young Books, 2006.
Walker, Stanley. The Night Club Era. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1999.