1. Prohibition
Many fundamentalists had fought for prohibition for decades, believing that alcohol use led to all of the ills of American society.

5. 18th Amendment
The 18th Amendment to the Constitution banned the production and sale of alcohol throughout the United States. Many conservative groups had fought for prohibition, claiming alcohol use caused spouse and child abuse, laziness, and other social ills. Still, alcohol use was a popular past-time in America, so the actual implementation of the amendment would not be an easy one.

6. Organized Crime
As a result of the amendment, the sale and transportation of illegal alcohol fell into the hands of those in organized crime groups. Gangsters like Al Capone became very powerful due to the high demand for liquor in the big cities. In the small towns and countryside, moon0shiners made home-made alcohol in their quick made stills and sold the illegal brews to all their friends and other locals.

7. Speakeasies
As the public saloons closed down as a result of the amendment, new clubs, called speakeasies, became popular in the cities. The rising middle class did not care about the law, and paid good money to have access to the illegal alcohol. Clubs were often hidden behind secret doors and required passwords or codes for drinkers to enter, but others operated out in the open by paying off local officials that were hired to shut them down and enforce the law.

8. Culture of Crime
Since alcohol was such a part of popular culture, the acts of transporting it and selling it became common law-breaking activities. Hidden alcohol was often transported by those the law would not expect to participate in criminal activity. Bootleggers, those who transported alcohol strapped to their legs, could be found in every city, and the profits made by transporting illegal alcohol was very good for those new criminals.