Why did prohibition come into effect in the US in the first place?
Prohibition also referred to that part of the Temperance movement which wanted to make alcohol illegal. These groups brought about much change even prior to national prohibition. By 1905, three American states had already outlawed alcohol; by 1912, it was up to nine states; and, by 1916, legal prohibition was already in effect in 26 of the 48 states. Even though the sale of alcohol was illegal, alcoholic drinks were still widely available at “speakeasies” and other underground drinking establishments. Speakeasies gained their name from the fact that a patron had to “speak easy” and convince the doorman to let them in. His job was to keep out those who looked like they were “dry” agents. Agents had no forced-entry rights at all, and so could not break into an establishment if the doorman refused them entry. Many people also kept private bars to serve their guests. Large quantities of alcohol were smuggled in from Canada, overland and via the Great Lakes, and from the French islands of S
