Gavin Howe
Speakeasies were bars that operated illegally during the Prohibition era in the United States. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1919, banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of liquor. This drove alcohol consumption underground, with millions of people in small towns and large cities drinking at secret bars and taverns. Speakeasies were often hidden in people's apartments or in old bars that had supposedly closed down. Patrons would have to whisper the name of the person who sent them through a small opening in the door to gain entry. Speakeasies were also known for attracting flappers, young women who defied the standards of their day by wearing their hair and dresses short and drinking alongside men.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| People wanted to drink alcohol | The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of liquor |
| People wanted to socialise | Speakeasies were often the only place people could socialise |
| People wanted to be entertained | Speakeasies offered entertainment such as burlesque shows |
| People wanted to break the rules | Speakeasies were a place where people could break the rules and drink alongside people of different genders and races |
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What You'll Learn
- Speakeasies were often ill-kept secrets, with owners bribing police to look the other way
- The term 'speakeasy' may have come from the fact that prospective patrons had to whisper to get in
- Speakeasies were popular with flappers, young women who defied the standards of their day by drinking alongside men
- Speakeasy owners went to great lengths to hide their stashes of liquor, including building secret wine cellars and camouflaged doors
- Speakeasies offered cocktails to hide the taste of poorly distilled alcohol
Speakeasies were often ill-kept secrets, with owners bribing police to look the other way
Speakeasies were generally ill-kept secrets, with owners bribing police to look the other way. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1919, banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of liquor. This led to the creation of speakeasies, secret taverns and bars where people could drink illegally. To avoid detection, these establishments often required a password to get in and patrons had to 'speak easy' or be quiet.
Speakeasies could be anywhere, from a room in someone's apartment to an old bar that had supposedly closed down. Owners went to great lengths to hide their stashes of liquor, such as building custom camouflaged doors and secret wine cellars. They also bribed police officers with payoffs to turn a blind eye, enjoy a regular drink or tip them off about planned raids.
Speakeasies were also known for their burlesque shows, which combined comedy and social commentary with sensuality. They attracted flappers, young women who defied the standards of their day by wearing their hair and dresses short and drinking alongside men. Speakeasies offered a space where people could question established norms of race, gender, sex and sexuality.
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The term 'speakeasy' may have come from the fact that prospective patrons had to whisper to get in
Speakeasies were bars that operated during Prohibition (1920-1933) when the sale of alcohol was illegal in the US. These hidden establishments often had secret entrances and were frequented by those seeking a drink in defiance of the law. Speakeasies were generally ill-kept secrets, and owners would often bribe police officers to look the other way or tip them off about planned raids. Bootleggers who supplied the private bars would add water to good whiskey, gin and other liquors to sell larger quantities. Others resorted to selling still-produced moonshine or industrial alcohol, wood or grain alcohol, and even poisonous chemicals such as carbolic acid.
Speakeasies also attracted flappers, young women who defied the standards of their day by wearing their hair and dresses short and drinking alongside men. The established norms of sex and sexuality were also questioned. A new form of the stage show, known as burlesque, began to sweep the United States underground. These new shows combined comedy and social commentary with sensuality.
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Speakeasies were popular with flappers, young women who defied the standards of their day by drinking alongside men
Flappers were attracted to speakeasies because they were looking for places to dance, drink, smoke, and flaunt their new style of womanhood. They were seen as more independent by the way they acted, and it helped lead to more feminist movements for equal rights. The women's movement of fashion and femininity in the 1920s impacted the greater society by changing how America viewed the individual woman. Flappers led to a change in how America viewed women by transitioning from the Gilded Age woman to a Roaring Twenties woman. Women during the Gilded Age were seen as virtuous and as stay-at-home women. It was rare for women during that time to work or do anything else other than tend to the home and be a housewife.
Prohibition broke down old social barriers. In many New York speakeasies, rich people and ordinary folks, men and women all rubbed shoulders. Flappers were found very attractive to men who were looking for a daring, seductive young woman who still had a scent of young innocence. Speakeasies were flooded with not only men looking for booze, but women called flappers.
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Speakeasy owners went to great lengths to hide their stashes of liquor, including building secret wine cellars and camouflaged doors
Speakeasies could be anywhere, from a room in someone's apartment to an old bar that had supposedly closed when Prohibition hit. They often required a password to get in, and many owners had a rule that patrons had to 'speak easy' or be quiet so the police didn't overhear them and discover the place. Speakeasies also attracted flappers, young women who defied the standards of their day by wearing their hair and dresses short and drinking alongside men.
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Speakeasies offered cocktails to hide the taste of poorly distilled alcohol
Speakeasies were secret bars that opened in response to the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of liquor. The Volstead Act, or National Prohibition Act, also outlawed the sale of "intoxicating beverages" – defined as any drink containing 0.5% or more of alcohol.
Speakeasies were often hidden in people's apartments or old bars that had supposedly closed. They were generally ill-kept secrets, with owners bribing police officers to look the other way or tip them off about raids.
To hide the taste of poorly distilled alcohol, speakeasies offered cocktails made with ginger ale, Coca-Cola, sugar, mint, lemon, fruit juices and other flavourings. This led to the enduring popularity of mixed drinks.
Speakeasies also attracted flappers – young women who defied the standards of their day by wearing their hair and dresses short and drinking alongside men. The establishments also hosted burlesque shows, which combined comedy and social commentary with sensuality.
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Frequently asked questions
People went to speakeasies to drink alcohol, which was banned by the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1919.
Not everyone agreed with the law, and some people wanted to continue drinking alcohol. Speakeasies also attracted people who wanted to challenge the social norms of the time, such as young women who drank alongside men.
Speakeasies were often ill-kept secrets, with police officers being paid off to look the other way or tip off owners about raids. They were also often camouflaged, with hidden doors and secret cellars.
