Tuesday, December 5th is the 91st anniversary of the end of prohibition. To learn about this turbulent period of American history, I recommend listening to American History Tellers: Prohibition. In this series, you learn about why prohibition started and what life was like during the Roaring 20s. The host Lindsay Graham acts out fictional scenes from that era with realistic background noise and music from that time period. American History Tellers: Prohibition is an engaging podcast that is interesting and educational.
In episode one, Graham gives an overview of prohibition, which was from 1920-1933. He describes organizations that were instrumental in making it happen. This includes the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League. These organizations endorsed political candidates that enacted the Volstead Act, which in theory banned the production and sale of alcohol in the United States. From this episode, you gain an understanding of the robust effort that went into creating prohibition.
The adoption of activities other than drinking is described in episode two. These included baseball (which became known as America’s pastime), golf, and dance competitions. Soda fountains became popular destinations in place of saloons. Still, drinking alcohol was never eliminated. Drinkers got their alcohol from moonshiners or by trips across borders to Mexico or Canada. By the late 1920s, speakeasies became commonplace.
Episode three is about speakeasies. Graham describes the vast network of them throughout the United States. Though FBI agents arrested the owners of these establishments and shut them down, new ones would open up. Many speakeasies had tunnels to make bringing alcohol into them easier. It is interesting to learn about the innovation that went into keeping speakeasies hidden.
In the rest of the seven part series, you continue to learn about the rise and fall of prohibition. In episode five, you learn about the gangsters in the prohibition era. You hear about the abolishment of the 18th amendment and the downfall of prohibition in episode six. This podcast does a thorough job of examining the many different aspects of this time period. Even with the vast about of information that you hear, Graham keeps you entertained with his acting. American History is an interesting and engaging way of learning about prohibition.
Books About Prohibition
Hudson Valley Murder & Mayhem by Andrew K. Amelinckx
Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America by Edward Behr
Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish-American Gangster by T.J. English
The Bourbon King : The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition's Evil Genius by Bob Batchelor
The War on Alcohol: Prohibition and the Rise of the American State by Lisa McGirr
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, 1920-1933 by Daniel Okrent
Michael Walsh is an Adult Services Librarian at the Will Library. He is currently reading Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King.