Prohibition in the 1920s was the result of a temperance campaign in which women played a central role. Mabel Walker Willebrandt led the national enforcement effort. Women also flocked to speakeasies, including flappers, drinking a prime symbol of the “modern woman.” Pauline Sabin ultimately pushed for repeal, “Sabines” helping to end Prohibition in 1933.
Woman’s Christian Temperance Organization (WCTU)
Alcohol was heavily used in colonial times. A large reason was the absence of safe substitutes. Modern-day refrigeration and purification methods were unavailable. Water was often unsafe.
People were concerned about alcohol abuse. A temperance movement developed to promote moderation. The movement grew as alcohol use and abuse continued after independence.
Women in the 19th Century played a significant role as alcohol abuse continued to be a social problem. Women were particularly at risk since men had a large amount of power over their lives. Sometimes, temperance led to a call for total prohibition of alcohol.
The WCTU was established in 1874. It grew out of the Women’s Crusade, a direct action anti-liquor campaign. The organization had broad social goals, including suffrage, public health, and international peace. Women gained significant experience in activism and public policy.
The organization was primarily Protestant. Others, including non-Christians, did sometimes join their movement. Nonetheless, many distrusted Catholics, including Catholic immigrants who liked to drink and to socialize in saloons. The WCTU saw the saloon as a den of sin and disorder.
The organization promoted the prohibition of alcohol as a foundation of a good society. It was a strong supporter of the Eighteenth Amendment that put in place a national Prohibition (1919).
The WCTU passionately supported Prohibition. Members were optimistic that it was possible to ensure it was permanent. They looked on uneasily as problems and opposition grew.
Top Prosecutor
States traditionally regulated alcohol. The federal government had a limited role, including overseeing the territories and commerce with Native Americans.
The federal government had a greater role during World War I. Alcohol was kept from military bases. Conserving grain used for alcohol production became a war measure.
The Eighteenth Amendment and federal enforcement legislation made the manufacture and sale of alcohol a national concern. Many thought its reference to “intoxicating liquors” might not result in a widespread ban of beer and wine. Enforcement (Volstead Act) was very strict.
Mabel Walker Willebrandt became an assistant attorney general, the second woman in that role, in 1921. She was put in charge of income tax violations, federal prisons, and Prohibition enforcement. Mabel supervised the Prohibition Bureau, overseeing all the cases.
She had a thankless task. Congress did not provide adequate funds. There was a great deal of corruption. Agents regularly took bribes from bootleggers, illegal alcohol suppliers.
Mabel focused on major suppliers. Prosecution for tax evasion was a major tool. Her agents went undercover. An establishment found to be selling alcohol could be shut down for months.
The Prohibition Bureau processed over 50,000 prosecutions each year. She argued numerous cases in front of the Supreme Court. She acted more out of duty than in support of Prohibition.
Willebrandt left the government shortly after Hoover became president. She became a successful private lawyer, becoming a pioneer in aviation law and representing movie stars.
Mabel had hoped to be nominated as a federal judge. She never got her wish.
Hoover replaced her with a man. He did not think women were suitable to be prosecutors.
Speakeasies
A speakeasy is an illegal liquor establishment. The term arose from “speaking easy” (or softly) at certain locations to avoid attention from the authorities.
Supporters of Prohibition proclaimed the evils of the saloon. Speakeasies provided comparable problems without the limits of legitimate business. The alcohol could be tainted, they were often mob-controlled, resulting in more and more violence, and prostitution was often involved.
Speakeasies were prime locations of entertainment, especially in major cities. They were a major part of the Roaring Twenties. Women were servers, hostesses, and entertainers.
Some actresses, including Barbara Stanwyck, began their careers working in speakeasies. Silent film actress Mary “Texas” Guinan was a leading hostess in multiple clubs in the 1920s. Willebrandt tried and failed to prosecute her for violating the law.
Drinking and smoking cigarettes were symbols of being a modern woman. Flappers bobbed their hair (short hair was easier to manage), listened to jazz, and wore knee-length (naughty!) skirts.
They flaunted violating social norms. And, many liked to drink.
Opposition
It soon became apparent that Prohibition was having problems.
People still liked to drink. The conservatism of wartime passed. The “Roaring Twenties” began. Prohibition promoted crime, corruption, and disrespect for the rule of law.
Enforcement threatened civil liberties, with even Mabel Willebrandt opposed electronic surveillance (“bugging”). The Supreme Court, however, upheld the practice, even without a warrant. People also argued that prohibition should be a state function, promoting federalism.
The WCTU and other supporters opposed change. A supermajority of the states was necessary for an amendment to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment. Prohibition appeared here to stay.
Pauline Sabin, a socialite, was originally a supporter. She thought it would be good for her two sons. Sabin eventually turned against Prohibition. She believed that it was a violation of basic American values. The federal government was invading basic individual liberty.
Sabin had a long history as a leader in the Republican Party. She now used her political skills and media savvy to lead the Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR).
Her supporters were known as “Sabines,” who were promoted as fun-loving “wets” as compared to stick in the mud “drys.” WONPR supported anti-Prohibition candidates of both parties.
The Great Depression helped to bring about a major nationwide political change. Prohibition ended in 1933, though many states continued to ban alcohol into the 1960s.
Women continued to be involved all the way.