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- [Narrator] This video
was made possible by Honey.

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Click the link below to save
money on your online shopping.

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00:00:04,849 --> 00:00:08,307
And also limited edition
Al Capone pins on sale now.

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Get them quick before they sell out.

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Link in the description down below.

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Good morning, Honey.

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What's for breakfast?

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The usual.

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Two caskets of rum, a mug of hard cider,

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and a full bottle of wine.

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Oh boy.

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Oh, I'm running late.

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I'll have to take it with me.

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Don't forget your lunch.

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It's a six-pack of beer,
a flask of whiskey,

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six shots of tequila, and as
a special treat, a banana.

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Ah gee whiz, I'm gonna be smashed today.

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Enjoy your day of operating
sharp, dangerous farm equipment.

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I can't believe this is
an acceptable way to live.

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God bless America.

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Okay, gotta go.

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(loud crash)

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I love my life!

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(animated music)

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America, the land of
beautiful strip malls,

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top class infrastructure,
and wonderful urban sprawl.

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Ah, yes, beautiful America.

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But what's the most American
thing you can think of?

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The Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore,

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a crazy lady in a mobility
scooter yelling at a pigeon?

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Well, what if I told you
the answer is alcohol?

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That's right.

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When the Puritans arrived
on America's shores,

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they brought a ship packed with beer.

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George Washington provided his men

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with a daily cup of whiskey.

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Andrew Jackson's inauguration party

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left the White House so trashed

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that everybody had to be ordered outside.

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Frederick Douglass said whiskey

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made him feel like a president.

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Me too, Frederick, me too.

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Americans drink at breakfast.

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Doctors prescribe their
patients hard liquor.

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In the 19th century,
Americans drink three times

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as much as their modern-day counterparts.

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That's a lot of whiskey.

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Hey Jerry, how's that report coming along?

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Already done, sir.

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I've also organized your
paperwork, watered your flowers,

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and been a father figure to your children.

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Wait a minute.

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(sniffs) What's that smell?

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Have you been drinking at work?

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No sir, I would never.

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Well, why not?!

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Everyone else is doing it.

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But I got all my work done!

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You're fired!

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(glass shattering)

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(people cheering)

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Americans drink at work.

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They drink at barn raisings,
baptisms, and public hangings.

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Heavy drinking was so normal

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that it was as American as apple pie.

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Hi everyone, my name is
Ron and I'm an alcoholic.

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Get over yourself, Ron.

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We're all alcoholics.

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But more and more
Americans began to wonder

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whether all of this truly
was a normal way to live.

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Were Americans drinking
perhaps a little too much?

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Well, one group in particular

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thought the answer to that was yes.

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You know 'em.

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You love 'em.

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Women.

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(men laughing)

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Oh, crap, women!

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Run!

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(crowd yelling)

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Hang on!

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We just want to talk.

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Women talking in public?

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That's outrageous.

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Come on, Fred, you've got
two kids and a wife at home,

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yet here you are spending
your entire paycheck on booze.

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And you, Dr. Spanky,

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you run the cusp of
discovering time travel,

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but what did you discover instead?

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The sweet, sweet joys of whiskey.

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That's right, alcohol.

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It's destroying our families,
our jobs, and our homes.

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She's right, she's right.

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Hang on, men.

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Don't let them get to you.

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This saloon is our safe space
where our wives and children

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can't annoy us with reality
where we're free to be real men.

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He's right, he's right, I am a man.

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And what is it real men do?

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Take care of their families.

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I don't know what she's talking about.

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Do you take care of your family?

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No.

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We drink beer, we shoot
guns, and we mud wrestle!

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(men cheering)

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As America's heavy drinking
ruined more and more lives,

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moral resistance began to arise

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and women were at the forefront

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taking matters into their own hands

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at a time when women doing just
about anything was shocking.

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They'd had enough of being victim

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to their husbands' heavy drinking

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and they were gonna do
something unprecedented.

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You're going to what?

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I'm going to protest.

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(laughs)

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(coughs)

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Oh sweetie, women can't protest.

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(crowd yelling)

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Starting in Ohio before
spreading nationwide,

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women began a crusade against alcohol.

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They marched through towns and cities,

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singing hymns, gathering outside saloons,

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and praying on their knees.

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Women praying was so terrifying

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that in some towns schools were
shut and business stagnated.

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On one occasion, firemen were called out

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to hose down the dangerous praying women.

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On another, the owner of a beer garden

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reportedly hold a cannon outside

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and threatened to reduce
the savage women to dust.

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Nevertheless, they persisted.

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They formed the WCTU in
1874 and they organized.

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They set up homes for inebriate women.

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They installed water
fountains in public parks.

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They wrote textbooks for schoolchildren

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that contained some interesting claims

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about drinking alcohol.

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Here's little Timmy.

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Uh-oh, looks like Timmy's
gonna have his first drink.

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He's taking a small sip of whiskey

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and Timmy has spontaneously combusted.

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The end.

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The women's efforts weren't in vain.

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In small towns across America,

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drugstores agreed to stop fulfilling

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prescriptions for alcohol.

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Men committed themselves
to giving up drink.

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Inspired by the women's moral fervor,

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some saloon owners closed their doors.

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The women's crusade and
other temperance movements

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were forcing people to reconsider
alcohol's role in society,

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and more people began to side

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with the growing temperance movement.

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Many states had even begun enacting

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their own dry laws that restricted

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the sale and use of alcohol.

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One of them was Kansas

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where alcohol had been
outlawed since 1881.

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Despite this, many illegal
saloons remained open

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and authorities had done just
about nothing to stop them.

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One woman, disgusted by what she saw,

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decided she would take the
law into her own hands,

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and not just any woman, a
terrifying hatchet-wielding,

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sweet old lady named Carrie Nation.

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Armed with her trustee hatchet

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and a bag of what she called smashers,

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she traveled from town
to town visiting saloons,

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but she wasn't there to get smashed,

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she was there to smash.

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The men could do nothing but cower

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as sweet little Carrie hulked out

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and tore the place to shreds.

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She went to Kiowa and smashy smashed,

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Wichita, smashy smashed,

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to Piqua, smashy smashed.

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On a couple of occasions,
she was arrested,

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but each time they were like,

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okay, Carrie, we're gonna let you go

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so long as you promise to be a good girl

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and not smash up any more saloons, okay?

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Screw you pig! (spits)

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Yeah, I think she's gonna be all right.

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Smash, smash, smash.

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Carrie's tactics shocked the other members

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of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union,

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but she assured them, and this is a quote,

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"Ladies, you do not know
how much joy you will have

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"until you smash, smash, smash."

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Carrie became a household name

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and she hoped her unusual tactics

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would spread across the country,

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but unfortunately,

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many of the women's movements
eventually slowed down.

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Why?

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Well, because of this kinda thing.

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Thelma!

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I ripped my pants again.

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Ugh, well, you'll have
to sew them yourself

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because I'm going out protesting.

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What?!

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I don't know how to sew.

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What if I burn the house down
and get eaten by alligators?

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What?

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Don't be stupid, Mitch!

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Look, I've gotta go.

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Call me stupid?

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She's the one who's stupid.

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(glass shattering)

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(loud explosion)

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Hey Thelma!

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Look who's stupid now?

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See, while the women were out protesting,

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there was nobody to do
the cooking and cleaning

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and being seen and not heard,

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and they gradually had to
return to their duties at home.

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But where the women had
got the ball rolling,

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a new movement was about to take that ball

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all the way to Washington, DC.

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I'm talking about the Anti-Saloon League.

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The Anti-Saloon League was
a political pressure group

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00:07:07,810 --> 00:07:09,620
run by a very sweet-looking old man.

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But don't let that deceive you.

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This guy was an evil genius.

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While the women's movements

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were interested in a
whole range of issues,

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Wayne Wheeler and the Anti-Saloon League

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only cared about enemy
number one, Mr. Al Cohol,

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and as a result, they
were extremely effective.

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They were able to exploit the
fears of the American people.

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And I mean everyone's fears.

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Here's how they did it.

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Hello, sir, welcome to the
Liberal Progressive rally.

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Why don't you introduce yourself?

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Well, I'm Paddy and I'm
an immigrant from Ireland.

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And tell me, Paddy, do you drink?

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Oh yes, I drink a lot.

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See folks?

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People like Paddy come here
looking for a better life

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only to end up drunk in the gutter.

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Don't worry, sir, we're gonna help you.

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(people applauding)

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Hey man, you're doing great.

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I just need you for one more thing.

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Hey Christian Conservatives,
this is Paddy.

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He's a dirty Catholic Irish immigrant

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who's come to destroy America

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with his alcohol-fueled debauchery.

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(people cheering)

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Workers were told alcohol
was a capitalist ploy

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00:08:08,050 --> 00:08:09,300
to keep them subjugated.

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Factory owners were told

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alcohol was making their
irresponsible workers lazy.

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The Black community was warned

255
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alcohol was hindering its progress

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while racists were warned alcohol

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would turn Black men into brutes.

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In one of the most confusing
eras of American politics,

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totally opposing groups
found themselves agreeing

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on at least one thing, alcohol was bad.

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The Anti-Saloon League also
made great use of propaganda,

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something prohibitionists
had been doing for decades.

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Take this specimen, for example,

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that warns what will happen
to you if you start drinking.

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00:08:36,309 --> 00:08:37,859
Let's see, first you take a drink,

266
00:08:37,860 --> 00:08:39,050
you get a little rowdy,

267
00:08:39,049 --> 00:08:41,166
okay, you make some new friends.

268
00:08:41,167 --> 00:08:42,210
Nice.

269
00:08:42,210 --> 00:08:44,120
Then you become homeless.

270
00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:45,533
You turn to crime.

271
00:08:45,533 --> 00:08:49,590
And but, uh-oh.

272
00:08:49,590 --> 00:08:50,463
But the most effective tactic

273
00:08:50,462 --> 00:08:52,860
Wheeler used to force
prohibition on America

274
00:08:52,860 --> 00:08:54,056
was pressure politics.

275
00:08:54,056 --> 00:08:55,670
In any election he could,

276
00:08:55,669 --> 00:08:57,809
Wheeler very successfully rounded support

277
00:08:57,809 --> 00:09:00,308
against any politician who
was in favor of alcohol.

278
00:09:00,308 --> 00:09:03,069
In Ohio alone, he had
70 state representatives

279
00:09:03,070 --> 00:09:05,879
and the popular Republican
governor ousted from office

280
00:09:05,879 --> 00:09:07,559
and replaced with prohibitionists.

281
00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:09,927
Suddenly every politician in America

282
00:09:09,927 --> 00:09:11,840
was afraid of Wayne Wheeler.

283
00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:13,703
Even those who enjoyed alcohol in private

284
00:09:13,702 --> 00:09:16,209
began pretending to be
against it in public.

285
00:09:16,210 --> 00:09:18,686
Alcohol is delicious.

286
00:09:18,686 --> 00:09:19,966
I mean malicious.

287
00:09:19,966 --> 00:09:21,009
Sorry Wayne.

288
00:09:21,009 --> 00:09:22,019
I'm really drunk right now.

289
00:09:22,019 --> 00:09:24,865
Then it really hit the fan in
1917 when America found itself

290
00:09:24,865 --> 00:09:27,629
fighting in the First
World War against Germany.

291
00:09:27,629 --> 00:09:29,730
Anti-German sentiment exploded.

292
00:09:29,730 --> 00:09:31,277
Sauerkraut became Liberty Cabbage.

293
00:09:31,277 --> 00:09:33,759
German measles became Liberty measles.

294
00:09:33,759 --> 00:09:36,629
And dachshunds became
the embodiment of evil.

295
00:09:36,629 --> 00:09:37,462
See America?

296
00:09:37,462 --> 00:09:38,597
You've always been this way.

297
00:09:38,597 --> 00:09:40,747
The biggest brewers in
America were German,

298
00:09:40,748 --> 00:09:42,641
and Wheeler saw to it
that drinking alcohol

299
00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,067
became akin to pro-German treason.

300
00:09:45,067 --> 00:09:47,700
The German brewers desperately
tried to fight back,

301
00:09:47,700 --> 00:09:48,710
creating their own propaganda,

302
00:09:48,710 --> 00:09:50,780
presenting beer as a healthy beverage,

303
00:09:50,779 --> 00:09:52,929
one that you could even give to your kids.

304
00:09:52,929 --> 00:09:54,912
As you can imagine, it
didn't go down well.

305
00:09:54,913 --> 00:09:57,110
President Wilson instituted some temporary

306
00:09:57,110 --> 00:09:59,538
wartime prohibition measures
to save grain for food.

307
00:09:59,538 --> 00:10:02,069
And with many in the country
now in support of prohibition,

308
00:10:02,070 --> 00:10:04,092
all that was left was to make it law.

309
00:10:04,091 --> 00:10:07,279
One problem was that taxes
on alcohol made up nearly 40%

310
00:10:07,279 --> 00:10:09,687
of the US government's annual revenue,

311
00:10:09,687 --> 00:10:11,483
and the government wasn't
just about to give that up.

312
00:10:11,482 --> 00:10:12,315
No problem.

313
00:10:12,316 --> 00:10:14,593
The Anti-Saloon League
helped lobby for the creation

314
00:10:14,592 --> 00:10:16,863
of a new income tax on
the American people.

315
00:10:16,864 --> 00:10:18,100
And just like that,

316
00:10:18,100 --> 00:10:20,460
the government was no
longer reliant on alcohol.

317
00:10:20,460 --> 00:10:24,160
Prohibition was finally
introduced to Congress in 1913,

318
00:10:24,159 --> 00:10:27,719
not just as a law but a
constitutional amendment.

319
00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:30,040
In 1917 as the House held their final vote

320
00:10:30,039 --> 00:10:31,259
on the prohibition amendment,

321
00:10:31,259 --> 00:10:33,000
Wheeler was watching from the gallery.

322
00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,529
You spineless cowards.

323
00:10:35,529 --> 00:10:37,000
I know half of you drink

324
00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,126
yet here you are bowing down
to Ned Flanders up there.

325
00:10:39,126 --> 00:10:41,347
Look at him like he's some kind of Caesar.

326
00:10:41,347 --> 00:10:43,140
Ugh, don't be so dramatic.

327
00:10:43,140 --> 00:10:46,251
I obviously don't think I'm Caesar.

328
00:10:46,251 --> 00:10:47,442
Now release the lions.

329
00:10:47,442 --> 00:10:48,453
(lion roaring)

330
00:10:48,453 --> 00:10:51,149
In the end, prohibition
passed the House easily,

331
00:10:51,149 --> 00:10:53,850
282 votes to 128.

332
00:10:53,850 --> 00:10:56,330
And the states ratified
the new amendment by 1919.

333
00:10:56,330 --> 00:10:59,966
America, a nation obsessed
with liberty and freedom,

334
00:10:59,966 --> 00:11:02,630
had just voluntarily
given up its private right

335
00:11:02,630 --> 00:11:05,324
to choose Whether or not to drink alcohol.

336
00:11:05,325 --> 00:11:06,509
We did it, folks!
(crowd cheering)

337
00:11:06,509 --> 00:11:07,703
We fixed everything.

338
00:11:07,703 --> 00:11:09,888
America will be perfect forever.

339
00:11:09,889 --> 00:11:12,195
But you just dissolved
America's fifth largest industry

340
00:11:12,195 --> 00:11:14,750
and lost tens of thousands
of jobs for us immigrants.

341
00:11:14,750 --> 00:11:16,009
No, you idiot.

342
00:11:16,009 --> 00:11:16,842
You don't get it.

343
00:11:16,842 --> 00:11:18,620
We helped you, idiot.

344
00:11:18,620 --> 00:11:20,942
Ugh, I could really go for a beer.

345
00:11:21,792 --> 00:11:23,060
Oh no!

346
00:11:23,059 --> 00:11:25,179
Immediately after
prohibition went into effect,

347
00:11:25,179 --> 00:11:26,222
alcohol consumption in America

348
00:11:26,222 --> 00:11:28,599
decreased as Americans followed the law

349
00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:29,800
and tried not drinking.

350
00:11:29,799 --> 00:11:31,959
Man, if we're gonna be
law-abiding good boys,

351
00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:34,090
we need something else to
fill the dark lonely void

352
00:11:34,090 --> 00:11:35,730
that delicious beer once did.

353
00:11:35,730 --> 00:11:39,517
Well, how about we crack open
a nice cold can of water?

354
00:11:39,517 --> 00:11:41,463
Hell, yeah, toss it over.

355
00:11:44,472 --> 00:11:46,639
Nah, this isn't doing it for me.

356
00:11:46,639 --> 00:11:47,793
Let's try knitting.

357
00:11:49,017 --> 00:11:51,288
This isn't filling the dark void at all.

358
00:11:51,288 --> 00:11:52,529
Wanna play some kites?

359
00:11:52,529 --> 00:11:54,235
Ah, screw it.

360
00:11:54,235 --> 00:11:55,860
Let's go get some illegal beer.

361
00:11:55,860 --> 00:11:58,029
While it seemed like many
Americans supported prohibition,

362
00:11:58,029 --> 00:11:59,909
after the law went into effect,

363
00:11:59,909 --> 00:12:01,519
it seemed like just as many Americans

364
00:12:01,519 --> 00:12:03,100
intended to keep on drinking

365
00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:04,960
and they would go on to
find a variety of ways

366
00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:06,432
to break the new law.

367
00:12:06,432 --> 00:12:07,920
Here's a question for you.

368
00:12:07,919 --> 00:12:10,656
Do you like breaking the law?

369
00:12:10,657 --> 00:12:12,348
Well, shame on you.

370
00:12:12,347 --> 00:12:15,180
Or do you like saving
money when you shop online?

371
00:12:15,181 --> 00:12:17,503
Then you should use Honey.

372
00:12:17,503 --> 00:12:19,244
Do you ever shop in-store?

373
00:12:19,244 --> 00:12:20,490
Of course not.

374
00:12:20,490 --> 00:12:22,244
Then you'd have to talk
to real life people.

375
00:12:22,244 --> 00:12:23,130
Yuck.

376
00:12:23,130 --> 00:12:25,669
You'd rather shop online
in the comfort and darkness

377
00:12:25,669 --> 00:12:26,764
of your mom's basement.

378
00:12:26,764 --> 00:12:29,191
Ah, and better yet, you can save money

379
00:12:29,191 --> 00:12:31,258
when you shop online with Honey.

380
00:12:31,258 --> 00:12:33,129
Honey is a free browser extension

381
00:12:33,129 --> 00:12:34,639
that scours the internet for promo codes

382
00:12:34,639 --> 00:12:37,720
and automatically tests them
when you're checking out.

383
00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,840
Look at me, I'm buying
a Baby Yoda smartwatch

384
00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:41,569
to increase my chances
of getting a girlfriend.

385
00:12:41,568 --> 00:12:43,866
And look, this magic dancing coin man

386
00:12:43,866 --> 00:12:45,620
has a promo code for me.

387
00:12:45,620 --> 00:12:47,067
Holy hecking balls!

388
00:12:47,067 --> 00:12:49,798
I just saved $18 and 75 cents.

389
00:12:49,798 --> 00:12:51,163
Watch out ladies.

390
00:12:51,163 --> 00:12:52,069
And guess what?

391
00:12:52,070 --> 00:12:54,712
Those of you who've already
installed Honey using my link

392
00:12:54,711 --> 00:12:58,048
have found over $247,000 in savings.

393
00:12:58,048 --> 00:12:59,829
So what are the rest of you waiting for

394
00:12:59,830 --> 00:13:00,937
you big dumb stinky idiots?

395
00:13:00,937 --> 00:13:04,889
It's free and can be easily-peasily
installed in two clicks.

396
00:13:04,889 --> 00:13:05,984
So get Honey for free today

397
00:13:05,984 --> 00:13:09,049
by going to joinhoney.com/oversimplified.

398
00:13:09,048 --> 00:13:12,087
That's joinhoney.com/oversimplified.

399
00:13:12,087 --> 00:13:16,079
And as always, you'll be
supporting my channel so thank you.

400
00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:17,440
Now where were we?

401
00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:19,300
Oh yeah, punching Paddy,

402
00:13:19,299 --> 00:13:21,746
passing prohibition, and procuring pints.

403
00:13:21,746 --> 00:13:23,782
Pretty soon after the
new law went into effect,

404
00:13:23,783 --> 00:13:24,860
the failures of prohibition

405
00:13:24,860 --> 00:13:27,115
were already beginning
to rear their ugly heads.

406
00:13:27,115 --> 00:13:29,568
For starters, the details
of the new prohibition law

407
00:13:29,568 --> 00:13:32,189
written by none other
than Wayne Wheeler himself

408
00:13:32,190 --> 00:13:34,110
turned out to be more
draconian than expected.

409
00:13:34,110 --> 00:13:35,769
Many prohibition supporters

410
00:13:35,769 --> 00:13:37,439
only wanted to outlaw hard liquor

411
00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:38,950
and hoped beer would remain legal,

412
00:13:38,950 --> 00:13:42,045
but the Volstead Act
outlawed anything over .5%.

413
00:13:42,044 --> 00:13:44,209
That would make Liberty Cabbage illegal.

414
00:13:44,210 --> 00:13:46,180
Secondly, the new law
was full of loopholes

415
00:13:46,179 --> 00:13:48,245
that Americans very
quickly began to exploit.

416
00:13:48,245 --> 00:13:50,070
For example, while the sale

417
00:13:50,070 --> 00:13:52,110
and manufacturer of liquor was illegal,

418
00:13:52,110 --> 00:13:53,310
drinking it wasn't.

419
00:13:53,309 --> 00:13:55,000
And you could also keep
any alcohol you had

420
00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:56,321
before the law went into effect.

421
00:13:56,321 --> 00:13:59,250
So many private clubs hoarded
huge amounts of alcohol

422
00:13:59,250 --> 00:14:01,799
that saw them through the
entire prohibition period.

423
00:14:01,799 --> 00:14:04,279
Whiskey intended for medicinal
purposes was also allowed

424
00:14:04,279 --> 00:14:06,579
and doctors basically became bartenders.

425
00:14:06,580 --> 00:14:09,110
It looked as though a full-on
epidemic had broken out

426
00:14:09,110 --> 00:14:11,899
as there was a sudden surge
in prescriptions for whiskey.

427
00:14:11,899 --> 00:14:14,169
Sacramental wines used by
churches and synagogues

428
00:14:14,169 --> 00:14:15,002
were also permitted.

429
00:14:15,003 --> 00:14:17,307
Orders for communion wine
suspiciously skyrocketed

430
00:14:17,307 --> 00:14:18,739
by millions of gallons.

431
00:14:18,739 --> 00:14:21,019
And as rabbis had access
to religious wine,

432
00:14:21,019 --> 00:14:22,923
suddenly everyone was becoming a rabbi.

433
00:14:22,923 --> 00:14:27,100
You had Rabbi Pat O'Leary,
Rabbi LL Cool J, Rabbi Fluffy.

434
00:14:27,100 --> 00:14:27,932
But don't worry.

435
00:14:27,932 --> 00:14:30,389
I'm sure all these definitely
legitimate religious figures

436
00:14:30,389 --> 00:14:31,403
couldn't possibly be selling wine

437
00:14:31,403 --> 00:14:32,778
in the back alley after mass.

438
00:14:32,778 --> 00:14:35,293
Yep, definitely nothing
strange going on here.

439
00:14:35,293 --> 00:14:37,393
New products also hit
the shelves in stores,

440
00:14:37,393 --> 00:14:40,970
such as Vine-Glo, a brick
of dehydrated grape juice,

441
00:14:40,970 --> 00:14:43,730
itself not alcoholic and
therefore perfectly legal,

442
00:14:43,730 --> 00:14:46,490
but the packaging did contain
a strangely specific warning.

443
00:14:46,490 --> 00:14:48,409
After dissolving the brick
in a gallon of water,

444
00:14:48,409 --> 00:14:49,939
do not place the liquid in a jug

445
00:14:49,940 --> 00:14:51,270
in the cupboard for 20 days,

446
00:14:51,269 --> 00:14:53,720
because then it would turn into a wine.

447
00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:54,552
I'll take a thousand.

448
00:14:54,552 --> 00:14:55,669
Yes, sir.

449
00:14:55,669 --> 00:14:57,813
Now at this point, I want
you to think back for me,

450
00:14:57,813 --> 00:15:00,028
if you will, to the year 2005.

451
00:15:00,028 --> 00:15:01,970
You're the coolest kid around

452
00:15:01,970 --> 00:15:03,160
and you convince your parents to rent

453
00:15:03,159 --> 00:15:05,889
the greatest movie of all time
from your local Blockbuster.

454
00:15:05,889 --> 00:15:07,490
But the movie starts
with a strange message,

455
00:15:07,490 --> 00:15:09,572
something about not downloading a car.

456
00:15:09,572 --> 00:15:12,700
You immediately disregard
that and hop on Kazaa

457
00:15:12,700 --> 00:15:14,509
to download the greatest song of all time,

458
00:15:14,509 --> 00:15:16,470
and in the process drain
your dad's bank account

459
00:15:16,470 --> 00:15:18,120
with copious amounts of ransomware.

460
00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,250
You were breaking the
law, you bad boy or girl.

461
00:15:21,250 --> 00:15:22,938
But did anyone come to arrest you?

462
00:15:22,938 --> 00:15:24,168
No.

463
00:15:24,168 --> 00:15:25,720
That's my point.

464
00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,940
If no one is enforcing a law
while everyone's breaking it,

465
00:15:28,940 --> 00:15:29,783
is it really a law?

466
00:15:29,783 --> 00:15:32,053
And so it was with prohibition.

467
00:15:32,053 --> 00:15:34,616
See, the conservative-led
governments of the decade

468
00:15:34,616 --> 00:15:35,796
were also the kind of people

469
00:15:35,797 --> 00:15:38,120
who believed in small government spending.

470
00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:38,952
So they passed a law

471
00:15:38,952 --> 00:15:41,350
that would be extremely
difficult to enforce

472
00:15:41,350 --> 00:15:42,182
but also didn't wanna spend

473
00:15:42,182 --> 00:15:44,403
any of the money required to enforce it.

474
00:15:44,403 --> 00:15:46,689
The newly created Bureau of Prohibition

475
00:15:46,690 --> 00:15:49,660
only had 1500 agents to
cover the entire country.

476
00:15:49,659 --> 00:15:53,356
That's one agent for
every 70,666 Americans

477
00:15:53,356 --> 00:15:56,740
in a massive country with
12,000 miles of coastline

478
00:15:56,740 --> 00:15:58,798
and one gigantic land border with Canada.

479
00:15:58,798 --> 00:16:00,043
Good luck schmuckos.

480
00:16:00,043 --> 00:16:01,829
And all these clever little loopholes

481
00:16:01,830 --> 00:16:03,354
people were using to score legal booze

482
00:16:03,354 --> 00:16:05,350
were only just the beginning.

483
00:16:05,350 --> 00:16:07,070
America was about to devolve

484
00:16:07,070 --> 00:16:10,302
into alcohol-fueled criminal chaos.

485
00:16:10,302 --> 00:16:11,480
By outlawing it,

486
00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,040
prohibition had made alcohol
a precious commodity.

487
00:16:14,041 --> 00:16:16,480
And millions of Americans
would become outlaws

488
00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,673
as they found a variety of
ways to score illegal booze.

489
00:16:18,673 --> 00:16:21,985
For example, many Americans
began making their own liquor.

490
00:16:21,985 --> 00:16:23,840
Illegal stills for making moonshine

491
00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:25,129
were found by prohibition agents

492
00:16:25,129 --> 00:16:27,549
from the hills of Kentucky
and the caves of Arizona

493
00:16:27,549 --> 00:16:29,919
to parking lots in major
cities and even in the homes

494
00:16:29,919 --> 00:16:31,751
of prohibition-supporting politicians.

495
00:16:31,751 --> 00:16:34,360
Oh come on now, fellas,
I voted for prohibition.

496
00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:36,112
I'm not gonna have an illegal still.

497
00:16:36,113 --> 00:16:37,140
What's this?

498
00:16:37,139 --> 00:16:38,629
That's my son Freddie.

499
00:16:38,629 --> 00:16:39,779
Say hi, Freddy.

500
00:16:39,779 --> 00:16:41,430
Sir, this is obviously an illegal still.

501
00:16:41,431 --> 00:16:42,612
How dare you?

502
00:16:42,611 --> 00:16:44,370
Hey, what's this in the bathtub?

503
00:16:44,370 --> 00:16:45,566
That's bath water.

504
00:16:45,566 --> 00:16:47,287
Why does it taste like alcohol?

505
00:16:47,287 --> 00:16:48,740
Here's a better question.

506
00:16:48,740 --> 00:16:50,899
Why are you tasting my bath water, weirdo?

507
00:16:50,899 --> 00:16:51,732
Come on, Freddy.

508
00:16:51,732 --> 00:16:53,239
Let's get away from these perverts.

509
00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:54,336
To discourage moonshining,

510
00:16:54,336 --> 00:16:56,529
the government began adding extra toxins

511
00:16:56,529 --> 00:16:58,429
to many of the products
moonshiners were using

512
00:16:58,429 --> 00:17:01,418
which resulted in many cases
of severe illness and death.

513
00:17:01,418 --> 00:17:03,929
But alcohol wasn't just
being made at home.

514
00:17:03,929 --> 00:17:05,278
Along America's vast coastlines,

515
00:17:05,278 --> 00:17:08,329
rumrunners smuggled alcohol
into the country by sea.

516
00:17:08,329 --> 00:17:10,289
A floating supermarket known as Rum Row

517
00:17:10,289 --> 00:17:11,799
extended along the East Coast

518
00:17:11,799 --> 00:17:13,960
just beyond America's maritime limit.

519
00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:16,110
And bootleggers frequently
sailed out in small boats

520
00:17:16,109 --> 00:17:17,609
to pick up shipments of booze.

521
00:17:17,609 --> 00:17:18,879
These bootleggers could then be found

522
00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:20,820
selling their illegal products everywhere

523
00:17:20,819 --> 00:17:23,179
even in the halls of Congress.

524
00:17:23,180 --> 00:17:25,823
Wow, pop, one day, I wanna work here.

525
00:17:25,823 --> 00:17:28,810
Well, son, if you work
hard and never give up,

526
00:17:28,809 --> 00:17:31,230
one day even you could
be a massive hypocrite.

527
00:17:31,230 --> 00:17:33,859
Even President Harding was
known to serve his cabinet

528
00:17:33,859 --> 00:17:34,889
bootlegged whiskey.

529
00:17:34,890 --> 00:17:36,406
And some bootleggers were so successful,

530
00:17:36,405 --> 00:17:39,322
they became bazillionaires
such as Roy Olmsted,

531
00:17:39,323 --> 00:17:41,870
an ex-cop who became one
of the biggest employers

532
00:17:41,869 --> 00:17:43,834
in the Seattle area from smuggling booze.

533
00:17:43,835 --> 00:17:46,227
Unfortunately, all of his
whiskey came from Canada.

534
00:17:46,227 --> 00:17:47,430
Yuck.

535
00:17:47,430 --> 00:17:49,278
All of this criminality
was being made possible

536
00:17:49,278 --> 00:17:51,381
by copious amounts of corruption.

537
00:17:51,381 --> 00:17:53,509
Across the country, armies
of government officials

538
00:17:53,509 --> 00:17:55,720
were persuaded to turn a blind eye.

539
00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,049
Bootleggers became so rich

540
00:17:57,049 --> 00:17:58,542
it was no problem to stuff
a couple thousand dollars

541
00:17:58,542 --> 00:18:00,459
into the front pocket of the police chief

542
00:18:00,460 --> 00:18:02,200
or the mayor or their disapproving mother.

543
00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:03,135
And some cops were getting

544
00:18:03,135 --> 00:18:04,985
almost as rich as the bootleggers.

545
00:18:04,986 --> 00:18:06,628
All right, men, everyone gather in.

546
00:18:06,627 --> 00:18:08,439
I've received word that one of you

547
00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:10,029
has been taking bribes from bootleggers.

548
00:18:10,029 --> 00:18:11,345
Any ideas who?

549
00:18:11,345 --> 00:18:13,767
Kevin perhaps, got any thoughts?

550
00:18:13,767 --> 00:18:14,720
No, sir.

551
00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:15,670
Many police officers

552
00:18:15,670 --> 00:18:17,890
came from the same
communities that drank a lot

553
00:18:17,890 --> 00:18:19,256
and they weren't about to
arrest their own granddads

554
00:18:19,256 --> 00:18:21,400
for knocking back some homemade gin.

555
00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:22,233
But all this isn't to say

556
00:18:22,232 --> 00:18:23,512
there was no enforcement.

557
00:18:23,512 --> 00:18:24,784
Plenty of government officials

558
00:18:24,785 --> 00:18:27,022
were doing their best
to enforce the new laws.

559
00:18:27,021 --> 00:18:28,403
And some unlucky individuals

560
00:18:28,403 --> 00:18:30,061
received very harsh penalties

561
00:18:30,061 --> 00:18:32,925
such as a Michigan mother who
is sentenced to life in prison

562
00:18:32,925 --> 00:18:34,692
for small-scale moonshining.

563
00:18:34,692 --> 00:18:37,460
Cases like these were
widely reported in the media

564
00:18:37,460 --> 00:18:39,913
and only served to make
prohibition even more unpopular.

565
00:18:39,913 --> 00:18:40,746
But not just that,

566
00:18:40,746 --> 00:18:42,535
the media also loved to cover the exploits

567
00:18:42,535 --> 00:18:44,147
of the most famous bootleggers,

568
00:18:44,146 --> 00:18:46,258
turning them into national icons.

569
00:18:46,258 --> 00:18:48,130
One of the biggest bootleggers

570
00:18:48,130 --> 00:18:50,123
was a man named George Remus.

571
00:18:50,123 --> 00:18:51,559
Originally a lawyer,

572
00:18:51,559 --> 00:18:53,319
he watched as his bootlegger clients

573
00:18:53,319 --> 00:18:55,335
paid off enormous fines
like it was nothing

574
00:18:55,335 --> 00:18:57,940
and proclaimed bootlegging
is the business for me!

575
00:18:57,940 --> 00:19:00,890
But unlike most bootleggers,
Remus had big brain

576
00:19:00,890 --> 00:19:02,345
and he came up with a
pretty clever system.

577
00:19:02,345 --> 00:19:04,789
See, there were millions
of gallons of liquor

578
00:19:04,789 --> 00:19:05,754
produced before prohibition

579
00:19:05,755 --> 00:19:08,060
that were sitting in
distillery warehouses.

580
00:19:08,059 --> 00:19:08,893
And it could only be sold

581
00:19:08,893 --> 00:19:10,935
with government permission
to drug companies.

582
00:19:10,935 --> 00:19:12,679
So Remus set up his own drug company

583
00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:13,876
and bought all the liquor,

584
00:19:13,876 --> 00:19:15,687
then he set up his own transport company

585
00:19:15,688 --> 00:19:16,772
to transport the liquor,

586
00:19:16,771 --> 00:19:18,730
and then he would send
his own men out with guns

587
00:19:18,730 --> 00:19:20,162
to intercept his own transport vehicles,

588
00:19:20,162 --> 00:19:21,600
and this would happen.

589
00:19:21,599 --> 00:19:23,155
Hey man, this is a stick-up.

590
00:19:23,155 --> 00:19:24,973
Oh no, please don't hurt me.

591
00:19:24,973 --> 00:19:27,005
I won't hesitate to shoot.

592
00:19:27,006 --> 00:19:28,992
Please, I have a wife and kids.

593
00:19:28,991 --> 00:19:31,078
Handover all the whiskey, fatty.

594
00:19:31,078 --> 00:19:36,078
Hey, fatty isn't in the
script, you jerk! (sobs)

595
00:19:36,536 --> 00:19:38,532
After stealing all the
whiskey from himself,

596
00:19:38,531 --> 00:19:40,401
he could then sell it for big bucks.

597
00:19:40,402 --> 00:19:41,675
The perfect crime.

598
00:19:41,675 --> 00:19:44,059
Unfortunately, Remus was eventually caught

599
00:19:44,059 --> 00:19:46,690
by a goody two-shoes
prohibition director in Indiana

600
00:19:46,690 --> 00:19:48,279
who wouldn't take Remus's bribes.

601
00:19:48,279 --> 00:19:49,609
And the government found Remus guilty

602
00:19:49,609 --> 00:19:52,440
of violating the Volstead Act 3,000 times.

603
00:19:52,441 --> 00:19:54,678
For two years as Remus sat in prison,

604
00:19:54,678 --> 00:19:56,846
his wife promised to take
care of all of his money,

605
00:19:56,846 --> 00:19:58,349
and by take care of his money,

606
00:19:58,349 --> 00:20:00,049
she meant having an affair
with a prohibition agent,

607
00:20:00,049 --> 00:20:02,807
sell off everything Remus
owned, and file for divorce.

608
00:20:02,807 --> 00:20:04,284
When Remus finally got out

609
00:20:04,284 --> 00:20:06,931
and found his big fancy mansion
empty with his wife gone,

610
00:20:06,931 --> 00:20:09,026
he reportedly broke out in tears.

611
00:20:09,026 --> 00:20:11,400
A few months later,
during the divorce trial,

612
00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:13,157
he spotted his wife in
a car in Cincinnati.

613
00:20:13,156 --> 00:20:15,240
Remus hopped in a cab and asked the driver

614
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:16,410
to run her off the road.

615
00:20:16,410 --> 00:20:18,106
The driver was like, okay.

616
00:20:18,106 --> 00:20:21,557
Then Remus got out of the
cab and shot his wife dead.

617
00:20:21,557 --> 00:20:23,761
He immediately handed
himself into the police.

618
00:20:23,761 --> 00:20:26,011
And his next trial, this time for murder,

619
00:20:26,011 --> 00:20:28,096
became a national sensation.

620
00:20:28,096 --> 00:20:31,039
Remus defended himself, claiming insanity,

621
00:20:31,039 --> 00:20:33,159
occasionally carrying
out skillful questioning,

622
00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:34,890
occasionally crying in the corner.

623
00:20:34,890 --> 00:20:36,129
But the nation felt bad for him.

624
00:20:36,128 --> 00:20:37,735
His wife had screwed him over.

625
00:20:37,736 --> 00:20:40,338
And so when after just 19
minutes of deliberation,

626
00:20:40,337 --> 00:20:43,049
the jury returned and
declared him not guilty.

627
00:20:43,049 --> 00:20:45,323
The court erupted into celebration.

628
00:20:45,324 --> 00:20:46,657
And just to remind you,

629
00:20:46,656 --> 00:20:49,569
this guy bluntly admitted
to murdering his wife.

630
00:20:49,569 --> 00:20:51,202
The American justice system.

631
00:20:52,279 --> 00:20:54,072
As alcohol poured into the nation,

632
00:20:54,073 --> 00:20:55,009
a lot of it was going

633
00:20:55,009 --> 00:20:56,809
to a new type of drinking establishment

634
00:20:56,809 --> 00:20:58,599
that had been booming in popularity,

635
00:20:58,599 --> 00:20:59,997
a secret drinking establishment.

636
00:20:59,998 --> 00:21:02,120
So secret that from the outside,

637
00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:04,199
they often looked like
ordinary shops or homes,

638
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,340
so secret that you usually
needed a password to get in,

639
00:21:07,339 --> 00:21:10,828
so secret that everybody
knew about them, speakeasies.

640
00:21:10,828 --> 00:21:13,589
And once you were in, the
party went all night long.

641
00:21:13,589 --> 00:21:16,424
Scantily clad flappers,
snake ladies, jazz.

642
00:21:16,424 --> 00:21:18,472
It was a roaring time to be alive.

643
00:21:18,472 --> 00:21:21,769
Some publications even posted
reviews of these illegal clubs

644
00:21:21,769 --> 00:21:23,723
and bribes galore kept the party going.

645
00:21:23,723 --> 00:21:25,789
It seemed like half the police officers

646
00:21:25,789 --> 00:21:27,670
and federal agents in cities like New York

647
00:21:27,670 --> 00:21:29,951
were receiving kickbacks
from speakeasy owners.

648
00:21:29,951 --> 00:21:33,807
Hey, what the Kevin
Costner is going on here?

649
00:21:33,807 --> 00:21:38,243
Officer O'Hannity, taking
bribes, why am I not surprised?

650
00:21:38,243 --> 00:21:40,222
Prohibition director Simmons?

651
00:21:40,222 --> 00:21:41,548
For shame.

652
00:21:41,548 --> 00:21:42,660
Mom?

653
00:21:42,660 --> 00:21:43,910
What would dad say?

654
00:21:43,910 --> 00:21:44,743
Ask him yourself.

655
00:21:44,742 --> 00:21:46,602
Dad would say quit
being such a wet blanket

656
00:21:46,603 --> 00:21:48,580
and let daddy earn his tips.

657
00:21:48,579 --> 00:21:50,561
Anytime a speakeasy was
shut down by authorities,

658
00:21:50,561 --> 00:21:52,835
it seemed like three more
would just pop up elsewhere.

659
00:21:52,836 --> 00:21:54,819
And some neighborhoods
were so full of them

660
00:21:54,819 --> 00:21:56,130
that one resident began hanging a sign

661
00:21:56,131 --> 00:21:57,236
to try to keep party-goers

662
00:21:57,236 --> 00:21:58,996
from constantly knocking on her door.

663
00:21:58,996 --> 00:22:01,137
It really seemed like the
new laws regarding alcohol

664
00:22:01,136 --> 00:22:03,388
in some places were simply being ignored.

665
00:22:03,388 --> 00:22:05,459
And one prohibition agent
who traveled the country

666
00:22:05,460 --> 00:22:07,819
liked to see which city
was the most defiant

667
00:22:07,819 --> 00:22:09,079
by timing how long it took for him

668
00:22:09,079 --> 00:22:11,089
to be offered a beer after he arrived.

669
00:22:11,089 --> 00:22:11,923
His winner?

670
00:22:11,923 --> 00:22:14,180
New Orleans where a cab
driver offered him a drink

671
00:22:14,180 --> 00:22:15,860
after just 35 seconds.

672
00:22:15,859 --> 00:22:17,069
Bravo!

673
00:22:17,069 --> 00:22:18,947
Many voices in Congress
were already speaking out

674
00:22:18,948 --> 00:22:21,450
against prohibition and its failures.

675
00:22:21,450 --> 00:22:23,188
To display how ridiculous
the whole thing was,

676
00:22:23,188 --> 00:22:25,680
one Republican congressmen
gathered the media

677
00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:27,623
to all come and watch him
drink a homemade beer.

678
00:22:27,623 --> 00:22:29,109
When he asked a passing police officer

679
00:22:29,108 --> 00:22:30,215
if he'd like to arrest him,

680
00:22:30,215 --> 00:22:31,869
the officer said no.

681
00:22:31,869 --> 00:22:33,935
Hey Wayne, is all this
what you had in mind?

682
00:22:33,935 --> 00:22:35,831
I thought we were gonna
make the country better

683
00:22:35,832 --> 00:22:37,778
but it almost seems like it's worse.

684
00:22:37,778 --> 00:22:38,870
What do you mean?

685
00:22:38,869 --> 00:22:40,011
Alcohol consumption is down.

686
00:22:40,011 --> 00:22:42,609
Well, that may be true
in your small town world,

687
00:22:42,609 --> 00:22:44,669
but it says here drinking
in some areas is up

688
00:22:44,670 --> 00:22:46,420
as are arrests for public intoxication,

689
00:22:46,420 --> 00:22:48,690
drunk driving, and incidents
of liver cirrhosis.

690
00:22:48,690 --> 00:22:49,753
The general chaos has turned America

691
00:22:49,752 --> 00:22:52,389
into a nation of criminals
with no respect for the law.

692
00:22:52,390 --> 00:22:53,810
And all these attempts at enforcement

693
00:22:53,809 --> 00:22:55,384
are just costing the
economy valuable money

694
00:22:55,384 --> 00:22:56,962
and eating up judicial time and resources.

695
00:22:56,962 --> 00:22:57,796
Release the lions.

696
00:22:57,796 --> 00:22:59,080
(lion roaring)

697
00:22:59,079 --> 00:23:00,166
The social change and corruption

698
00:23:00,166 --> 00:23:01,919
that Wheeler and the Anti-Saloon League

699
00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:03,166
had been so eager to prevent,

700
00:23:03,165 --> 00:23:05,475
in the cities at least, was surging.

701
00:23:05,476 --> 00:23:06,928
See, when something is legal,

702
00:23:06,928 --> 00:23:09,310
you can usually regulate and control it,

703
00:23:09,309 --> 00:23:10,571
but make that thing illegal

704
00:23:10,571 --> 00:23:12,790
and often anything becomes fair game.

705
00:23:12,790 --> 00:23:14,809
Legal drinking age, gone.

706
00:23:14,809 --> 00:23:17,460
Mandatory closing hours
for clubs and bars, gone.

707
00:23:17,460 --> 00:23:20,341
Other unspoken sociocultural
rules surrounding alcohol,

708
00:23:20,340 --> 00:23:22,489
gone, gone, gone.

709
00:23:22,490 --> 00:23:24,516
In speakeasies, different
genders and ethnicities

710
00:23:24,516 --> 00:23:26,897
were beginning to mingle in a
way they hadn't done before.

711
00:23:26,896 --> 00:23:29,035
The roaring 20s saw a monumental shift

712
00:23:29,036 --> 00:23:30,950
in culture, not least of all,

713
00:23:30,950 --> 00:23:32,588
because now men and women
could flirt in public

714
00:23:32,588 --> 00:23:34,397
without being damned for eternity.

715
00:23:34,397 --> 00:23:36,730
An outraged Wayne Wheeler
did his best to make sure

716
00:23:36,730 --> 00:23:38,675
that anyone breaking the law was punished.

717
00:23:38,675 --> 00:23:41,519
He had even stricter legislation
put in place in New York.

718
00:23:41,519 --> 00:23:43,889
But all this did was clogged
up the justice system

719
00:23:43,890 --> 00:23:45,470
with petty drinking violations,

720
00:23:45,470 --> 00:23:47,660
and judges began letting
everyone off with like fines

721
00:23:47,660 --> 00:23:49,367
so the judges could get
back to dealing with things

722
00:23:49,366 --> 00:23:50,719
that actually mattered,

723
00:23:50,719 --> 00:23:51,797
things like murder,

724
00:23:51,797 --> 00:23:53,637
and there was plenty of murder,

725
00:23:53,637 --> 00:23:56,539
because bootleggers and
moonshiners were one thing,

726
00:23:56,539 --> 00:23:58,899
but prohibition had given
another kind of criminal

727
00:23:58,900 --> 00:24:00,692
an opportunity to make a fortune,

728
00:24:00,692 --> 00:24:02,675
mobsters and gangsters.

729
00:24:02,675 --> 00:24:04,579
Hey Fat Tony, big news.

730
00:24:04,579 --> 00:24:06,321
Hey Fat Joey, what's up?

731
00:24:06,321 --> 00:24:08,250
I just got word from Fat Louis here

732
00:24:08,250 --> 00:24:09,523
that the government is outlawing alcohol.

733
00:24:09,523 --> 00:24:10,805
You know what that means?

734
00:24:10,806 --> 00:24:13,125
That means we're gonna be rich.

735
00:24:13,125 --> 00:24:14,769
Quick, call Fat Paulie

736
00:24:14,769 --> 00:24:16,098
and let's go hijack a liquor truck now.

737
00:24:16,098 --> 00:24:17,067
All right.

738
00:24:17,067 --> 00:24:19,000
Hang on, let me tell my wife first.

739
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,890
Hey Fat Susan, no pizza for
Fat Joey tonight, capeesh?

740
00:24:22,890 --> 00:24:25,150
Stopped calling me Fat Susan.

741
00:24:25,150 --> 00:24:27,569
Oh yeah, forget about it.

742
00:24:27,568 --> 00:24:29,884
Rival gangs began to
battle in American cities,

743
00:24:29,884 --> 00:24:32,364
raiding each other's transports,
assassinating rivals,

744
00:24:32,364 --> 00:24:33,248
and trying to take control

745
00:24:33,248 --> 00:24:35,289
of their city's illicit booze trade.

746
00:24:35,289 --> 00:24:36,817
Every city had its top dog.

747
00:24:36,817 --> 00:24:38,740
Detroit had The Purple Gang,

748
00:24:38,740 --> 00:24:40,640
New England had Charles King Solomon,

749
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:41,756
but no city was as infamous

750
00:24:41,756 --> 00:24:44,461
for gang violence and murder as Chicago.

751
00:24:44,461 --> 00:24:46,203
The city had multiple gang factions,

752
00:24:46,203 --> 00:24:47,549
and at first, they agreed to stay

753
00:24:47,549 --> 00:24:48,980
in their own neighborhoods,

754
00:24:48,980 --> 00:24:51,015
but the thing about criminals
is that they're criminals,

755
00:24:51,015 --> 00:24:52,975
and the agreements inevitably broke down.

756
00:24:52,974 --> 00:24:55,529
One day the leader of the
Italian South Side Gang

757
00:24:55,529 --> 00:24:57,597
was walking along the
street when this happened.

758
00:24:57,597 --> 00:24:58,952
(machine guns firing)

759
00:24:58,952 --> 00:25:01,276
And he was like, "You know,
I think I'm done with this,"

760
00:25:01,276 --> 00:25:02,880
and left for New York,

761
00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:04,868
leaving his crime empire
to his chief enforcer,

762
00:25:04,867 --> 00:25:07,388
none other than Al Capone.

763
00:25:07,388 --> 00:25:09,679
Having been knifed in the
face in his younger years,

764
00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:11,462
Capone earned himself the name Scarface.

765
00:25:11,462 --> 00:25:13,510
Although interestingly,
he hated that nickname

766
00:25:13,510 --> 00:25:15,619
and preferred to be called Snorky.

767
00:25:15,619 --> 00:25:16,985
Snorky was ruthless

768
00:25:16,986 --> 00:25:19,200
just like any other
gang leader in America,

769
00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:20,700
but what set him apart from others,

770
00:25:20,700 --> 00:25:21,729
the reason he's become synonymous

771
00:25:21,729 --> 00:25:24,353
with 1920's gang warfare is this.

772
00:25:24,353 --> 00:25:26,474
Most other gang leaders would
try to keep a low profile

773
00:25:26,473 --> 00:25:28,846
because they're killing
and murdering and stuff,

774
00:25:28,846 --> 00:25:30,395
but Capone lived for the fame

775
00:25:30,395 --> 00:25:32,990
and kept an extremely high public profile,

776
00:25:32,990 --> 00:25:34,844
frequently speaking with
the media about his exploits

777
00:25:34,844 --> 00:25:36,961
and presenting himself as a gracious host,

778
00:25:36,961 --> 00:25:39,059
providing Chicago with good times.

779
00:25:39,059 --> 00:25:40,500
No need to thank me fellows.

780
00:25:40,500 --> 00:25:42,751
I just provide the city
with a valuable commodity

781
00:25:42,751 --> 00:25:45,000
while doing away with the competition.

782
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:45,948
You mean you murder people?

783
00:25:45,948 --> 00:25:48,102
Whoa, who said anything about murder?

784
00:25:48,102 --> 00:25:51,074
I just forced my rivals underground.

785
00:25:51,074 --> 00:25:52,147
When you do the thing with the hands,

786
00:25:52,146 --> 00:25:53,743
it seems like you're talking about murder.

787
00:25:53,743 --> 00:25:55,752
Whoa, look at you with the brains.

788
00:25:55,752 --> 00:25:59,563
No, no, I just help
people retire from life.

789
00:25:59,564 --> 00:26:00,397
So murder?

790
00:26:00,396 --> 00:26:01,625
Whoa!

791
00:26:01,625 --> 00:26:03,673
Al Snorky Capone was
somewhat of an enigma,

792
00:26:03,673 --> 00:26:05,395
brutal in how he dealt with enemies,

793
00:26:05,395 --> 00:26:07,431
but in front of the
camera he was all smiles.

794
00:26:07,431 --> 00:26:09,427
One day he'd be ordering hit after hit,

795
00:26:09,426 --> 00:26:11,998
the next, he'd be signing
autographs in Wrigley Field.

796
00:26:11,999 --> 00:26:13,977
One day he'd be bludgeoning
members of his own gang

797
00:26:13,977 --> 00:26:15,890
with a baseball bat for
conspiring against him,

798
00:26:15,890 --> 00:26:17,390
the next, he'd be playing Santa

799
00:26:17,390 --> 00:26:18,746
at a nearby parochial school.

800
00:26:18,746 --> 00:26:20,969
And no murder could ever
be traced back to him.

801
00:26:20,969 --> 00:26:22,277
Just like every other criminal,

802
00:26:22,277 --> 00:26:24,330
he stuffed the pockets of city officials

803
00:26:24,329 --> 00:26:25,512
with cold hard cash,

804
00:26:25,512 --> 00:26:27,763
and any who did try to oppose
him sometimes found themselves

805
00:26:27,763 --> 00:26:30,692
being thrown down the steps of
city hall in broad daylight.

806
00:26:30,692 --> 00:26:32,049
Problem solved.

807
00:26:32,049 --> 00:26:33,390
The public couldn't get enough of Capone.

808
00:26:33,391 --> 00:26:34,909
He quickly became a household name

809
00:26:34,909 --> 00:26:37,373
as people romanticized
the gang life he lived,

810
00:26:37,373 --> 00:26:38,740
and this became a source of concern

811
00:26:38,740 --> 00:26:40,855
for the people at the very top.

812
00:26:40,855 --> 00:26:41,981
President Hoover.

813
00:26:41,981 --> 00:26:43,128
What is it now, Miles?

814
00:26:43,128 --> 00:26:44,139
I'm busy.

815
00:26:44,140 --> 00:26:46,086
Well, it's just that
there's a lot of crime, sir.

816
00:26:46,086 --> 00:26:47,259
Crime.

817
00:26:47,259 --> 00:26:48,269
How long has that been happening?

818
00:26:48,269 --> 00:26:50,319
Well, since the dawn of man, sir.

819
00:26:50,319 --> 00:26:51,153
What?

820
00:26:51,153 --> 00:26:52,868
Would you like me to blame
it on the Democrats again?

821
00:26:52,868 --> 00:26:55,141
No, Miles, I want you to
blame it on squirrels.

822
00:26:55,142 --> 00:26:56,303
Yes, the Democrats!

823
00:26:56,303 --> 00:26:57,562
Now stop wasting my time.

824
00:26:57,561 --> 00:27:00,219
Since having a crime lord
controlling public officials

825
00:27:00,220 --> 00:27:01,410
and winning the hearts of the people

826
00:27:01,410 --> 00:27:02,830
probably wasn't a good thing,

827
00:27:02,829 --> 00:27:04,609
Hoover personally ordered
that something be done

828
00:27:04,609 --> 00:27:05,660
about this Capone fellow.

829
00:27:05,661 --> 00:27:06,887
But before he knew it,

830
00:27:06,886 --> 00:27:08,455
President Hoover was also dealing

831
00:27:08,455 --> 00:27:09,961
with another major problem.

832
00:27:09,961 --> 00:27:11,904
You know 'em, you love 'em.

833
00:27:11,904 --> 00:27:13,000
Women.

834
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,279
The prohibition era had been
going on for nearly a decade,

835
00:27:15,279 --> 00:27:16,789
and anyone with a brain could see

836
00:27:16,789 --> 00:27:18,090
that it really wasn't going very well.

837
00:27:18,090 --> 00:27:20,593
One person with a brain was Pauline Sabin,

838
00:27:20,594 --> 00:27:23,320
an extremely influential and rich woman

839
00:27:23,319 --> 00:27:25,230
who served on the Republican
National Committee,

840
00:27:25,230 --> 00:27:26,880
fund-raised for Republican presidents,

841
00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:29,050
and had a secret wine
room in her giant mansion.

842
00:27:29,049 --> 00:27:30,492
She initially supported prohibition

843
00:27:30,492 --> 00:27:33,549
but was now disgusted at
the chaos it had created.

844
00:27:33,549 --> 00:27:35,169
And she began a new women's movement,

845
00:27:35,170 --> 00:27:37,909
this time not for
prohibition, but against it.

846
00:27:37,909 --> 00:27:40,357
Being the extremely
influential woman she was,

847
00:27:40,356 --> 00:27:41,478
her new organization gained

848
00:27:41,478 --> 00:27:44,471
nearly 1.5 million
members within two years,

849
00:27:44,471 --> 00:27:47,042
five times that of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union.

850
00:27:47,042 --> 00:27:50,403
She hated that the WCTU
claimed to speak for all women

851
00:27:50,403 --> 00:27:53,421
and she began calling for the
repeal of the 18th Amendment.

852
00:27:53,421 --> 00:27:55,626
President Hoover, I
helped fund your campaign

853
00:27:55,626 --> 00:27:57,283
and now I want you to end prohibition.

854
00:27:57,284 --> 00:27:59,675
Miles, what is it I say when
I'm not gonna do anything?

855
00:27:59,674 --> 00:28:01,397
You'll look into it, sir.

856
00:28:01,397 --> 00:28:02,795
Oh yeah, that's right.

857
00:28:02,796 --> 00:28:05,210
Pauline, I'll look into it.

858
00:28:05,210 --> 00:28:07,350
Sabin gave speeches on
the steps of Congress

859
00:28:07,349 --> 00:28:08,429
and helped started growing push

860
00:28:08,430 --> 00:28:10,820
among the American people
against prohibition.

861
00:28:10,819 --> 00:28:13,450
But Hoover, a prohibitionist
himself, wasn't budging.

862
00:28:13,450 --> 00:28:16,600
Then on the 14th of February 1929,

863
00:28:16,599 --> 00:28:18,644
something happened that
shocked the nation.

864
00:28:18,644 --> 00:28:20,895
Men thought to be working for Al Capone

865
00:28:20,895 --> 00:28:22,619
tricked some Irish
mobsters into meeting them

866
00:28:22,619 --> 00:28:24,068
at a garage in Chicago,

867
00:28:24,068 --> 00:28:26,444
thinking they were there to
purchase hijacked whiskey,

868
00:28:26,444 --> 00:28:29,230
instead the mobsters were
lined up against the wall

869
00:28:29,230 --> 00:28:32,370
by men dressed as police
and they were shot.

870
00:28:32,369 --> 00:28:35,519
The Valentine's Day Massacre
had people outraged.

871
00:28:35,519 --> 00:28:37,785
It was cruel and almost
felt like American mobsters

872
00:28:37,785 --> 00:28:39,508
had finally crossed the line.

873
00:28:39,508 --> 00:28:41,480
People were sick of the violence,

874
00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:43,329
and in part they blamed prohibition

875
00:28:43,329 --> 00:28:44,235
for helping to create it.

876
00:28:44,236 --> 00:28:46,316
The pressure on Hoover to do something

877
00:28:46,316 --> 00:28:47,835
was steadily increasing.

878
00:28:47,835 --> 00:28:48,890
Fine.

879
00:28:48,890 --> 00:28:50,700
Miles, I want you to put a report together

880
00:28:50,700 --> 00:28:51,870
to see if this whole thing is working.

881
00:28:51,869 --> 00:28:53,409
You mean the thing where mobsters

882
00:28:53,410 --> 00:28:54,341
are becoming increasingly powerful

883
00:28:54,340 --> 00:28:56,049
and massacring each other in the streets

884
00:28:56,049 --> 00:28:56,883
and everyone is disregarding the law

885
00:28:56,883 --> 00:28:58,160
and half our public officials

886
00:28:58,160 --> 00:28:59,067
are corrupt and taking bribes?

887
00:28:59,067 --> 00:29:00,109
That thing?

888
00:29:00,109 --> 00:29:02,529
Yeah, I wanna know if it's
working or not, Miles.

889
00:29:02,529 --> 00:29:04,119
Stop wasting my time.

890
00:29:04,119 --> 00:29:06,599
Hoover continued to drag
his feet on prohibition,

891
00:29:06,599 --> 00:29:07,961
but after the Valentine's Day Massacre,

892
00:29:07,961 --> 00:29:09,869
he was still determined to do one thing.

893
00:29:09,869 --> 00:29:12,085
He wanted Al Capone in prison.

894
00:29:12,086 --> 00:29:13,567
Since Capone had been so careful,

895
00:29:13,567 --> 00:29:16,569
the FBI were having a hard time
charging him with anything,

896
00:29:16,569 --> 00:29:17,769
but eventually they got him.

897
00:29:17,769 --> 00:29:20,128
Capone, we know you're
supplying Chicago with alcohol

898
00:29:20,128 --> 00:29:21,772
and you've been involved
in countless murders.

899
00:29:21,772 --> 00:29:24,079
Whoa, look at you with the crazy talk.

900
00:29:24,079 --> 00:29:25,960
I ain't done none of that stuff.

901
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:27,380
But you're rich, right?

902
00:29:27,380 --> 00:29:28,337
You're damn right I am.

903
00:29:28,336 --> 00:29:30,224
And so where'd all the
money come from, Capone?

904
00:29:30,224 --> 00:29:32,549
All right, I'll let you
in on a little secret,

905
00:29:32,549 --> 00:29:35,238
but you gotta promise
not to tell anyone, okay?

906
00:29:35,238 --> 00:29:37,803
I don't pay my taxes.

907
00:29:38,673 --> 00:29:40,330
Whoa!

908
00:29:40,330 --> 00:29:41,429
For all of his murdering,

909
00:29:41,430 --> 00:29:43,894
the IRS finally got Capone on tax evasion.

910
00:29:43,894 --> 00:29:46,166
At his trial, he didn't
seem too concern though

911
00:29:46,166 --> 00:29:49,090
and spent most of his time
having a laugh with his lawyers.

912
00:29:49,090 --> 00:29:50,513
Hey Capone, I gotta know,

913
00:29:50,513 --> 00:29:52,250
why are you so confident
you're gonna win here?

914
00:29:52,250 --> 00:29:55,390
Well, your honor, because I'm
an honest man with a big heart

915
00:29:55,390 --> 00:29:57,809
who's passionate about working
for the good of the people

916
00:29:57,808 --> 00:29:59,870
and also because I threatened
the entire jury's families.

917
00:29:59,871 --> 00:30:01,065
Luckily at the last minute,

918
00:30:01,065 --> 00:30:03,317
the judge replaced the entire
jury pool with a new one

919
00:30:03,317 --> 00:30:05,339
that Capone's men hadn't yet got to,

920
00:30:05,339 --> 00:30:06,771
and Capone was found guilty.

921
00:30:06,771 --> 00:30:09,730
He was sentenced to 11
years in federal prison,

922
00:30:09,730 --> 00:30:12,496
the harshest penalty ever
given to a tax evader.

923
00:30:12,496 --> 00:30:13,915
But even with Capone locked away,

924
00:30:13,914 --> 00:30:16,320
the violence in Chicago
and other cities continued,

925
00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:18,624
and in response, the
movement against prohibition

926
00:30:18,624 --> 00:30:19,800
continued to grow.

927
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,663
And the final nail in
prohibition's coffin came in 1929.

928
00:30:23,663 --> 00:30:25,507
After a decade of booming economic growth

929
00:30:25,507 --> 00:30:27,160
under three Republican presidents,

930
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,100
the stock market plummeted

931
00:30:29,099 --> 00:30:30,730
and America was thrown into the grips

932
00:30:30,730 --> 00:30:31,795
of the Great Depression.

933
00:30:31,795 --> 00:30:33,630
It was an awful time.

934
00:30:33,630 --> 00:30:34,947
One out of every five workers,

935
00:30:34,946 --> 00:30:37,644
15 million people, would lose their jobs.

936
00:30:37,644 --> 00:30:39,488
Half the nation's banks failed.

937
00:30:39,488 --> 00:30:41,057
Temporary shantytowns were built

938
00:30:41,057 --> 00:30:43,309
for the broke and
homeless in public parks.

939
00:30:43,309 --> 00:30:47,569
Suddenly very few people had
time to care about prohibition.

940
00:30:47,569 --> 00:30:49,871
Expensive enforcement
of an unenforceable law

941
00:30:49,872 --> 00:30:51,535
didn't seem like that big of a priority

942
00:30:51,535 --> 00:30:53,460
when people were having
their homes repossessed

943
00:30:53,460 --> 00:30:55,049
and losing their life savings.

944
00:30:55,049 --> 00:30:57,720
And many began to argue
that repealing prohibition

945
00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,490
would create vital jobs and
tax revenue for the government,

946
00:31:00,490 --> 00:31:02,798
yet President Hoover doubled down.

947
00:31:02,798 --> 00:31:04,710
Here's that report you asked for, sir.

948
00:31:04,710 --> 00:31:05,543
Gimme.

949
00:31:05,542 --> 00:31:07,875
Prohibition is great.

950
00:31:07,875 --> 00:31:09,730
Fantastic news.

951
00:31:09,730 --> 00:31:11,467
Sir, it says here prohibition is great

952
00:31:11,467 --> 00:31:13,173
at undermining the rule of law in America.

953
00:31:13,173 --> 00:31:15,799
Miles, it says the word great.

954
00:31:15,799 --> 00:31:17,134
That means good.

955
00:31:17,134 --> 00:31:20,269
Now stop wasting my time.

956
00:31:20,269 --> 00:31:21,740
The public increasingly shocked

957
00:31:21,740 --> 00:31:22,999
at the violence they saw on the streets,

958
00:31:22,999 --> 00:31:24,759
the corruption they saw in the government,

959
00:31:24,759 --> 00:31:26,086
the general disregard for the law,

960
00:31:26,086 --> 00:31:28,097
and now an economic calamity,

961
00:31:28,097 --> 00:31:29,547
had had enough.

962
00:31:29,547 --> 00:31:32,398
For his reelection, Hoover
faced the democratic candidate

963
00:31:32,397 --> 00:31:34,905
who promised to finally do
something about prohibition,

964
00:31:34,905 --> 00:31:36,786
Franklin D. Roosevelt.

965
00:31:36,786 --> 00:31:38,059
Crowds cheered

966
00:31:38,059 --> 00:31:39,869
as FDR made his campaign speeches

967
00:31:39,869 --> 00:31:41,839
promising to modify the Volstead Act.

968
00:31:41,839 --> 00:31:43,766
And Pauline Sabin, a lifelong Republican,

969
00:31:43,767 --> 00:31:47,330
along with her 1.5 million
supporters, endorsed Roosevelt.

970
00:31:47,329 --> 00:31:49,867
And on election day, it was a landslide.

971
00:31:49,867 --> 00:31:52,250
Before FDR had even taken office,

972
00:31:52,250 --> 00:31:54,279
Republicans in Congress began the process

973
00:31:54,279 --> 00:31:56,745
of passing the 21st Amendment
to repeal prohibition.

974
00:31:56,746 --> 00:31:58,729
One of FDR's first acts as president

975
00:31:58,729 --> 00:32:01,840
was to pass the Beer Permit
Act which made beer legal

976
00:32:01,839 --> 00:32:03,437
while the new amendment
was being ratified.

977
00:32:03,438 --> 00:32:06,903
In 1933 with the passage
of the 21st Amendment,

978
00:32:06,903 --> 00:32:09,717
prohibition was finally over,

979
00:32:09,717 --> 00:32:11,420
and the people celebrated

980
00:32:11,420 --> 00:32:13,221
like they had just won a World War.

981
00:32:13,221 --> 00:32:14,986
Bars and taverns were packed.

982
00:32:14,986 --> 00:32:17,690
The WCTU were inconsolable.

983
00:32:17,690 --> 00:32:19,410
Wayne Wheeler was dead.

984
00:32:19,410 --> 00:32:20,480
And the celebration,

985
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:23,083
particularly in American
cities, was intense.

986
00:32:23,083 --> 00:32:24,586
Heading into the mid-1930s,

987
00:32:24,586 --> 00:32:27,093
the effects of prohibition
were clear to see.

988
00:32:27,093 --> 00:32:29,683
From now on, culture
around drinking had changed

989
00:32:29,683 --> 00:32:33,059
with men and women drinking
together not in saloons

990
00:32:33,059 --> 00:32:34,490
but in bars and taverns.

991
00:32:34,490 --> 00:32:36,431
The crime syndicates that
had been given so much power

992
00:32:36,431 --> 00:32:38,428
through prohibition remained powerful

993
00:32:38,428 --> 00:32:40,111
as they moved on to other things.

994
00:32:40,111 --> 00:32:42,038
Some states opted to remain dry

995
00:32:42,038 --> 00:32:46,031
with Oklahoma only repealing
its prohibition laws in 1959.

996
00:32:46,031 --> 00:32:48,493
To this day, there are
still counties in America

997
00:32:48,493 --> 00:32:50,615
with some form of prohibition.

998
00:32:50,615 --> 00:32:52,287
So what did we learn today, kids?

999
00:32:52,287 --> 00:32:54,079
What's the big lesson here?

1000
00:32:54,079 --> 00:32:55,399
What's the moral of this story

1001
00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:56,480
that we can all take away

1002
00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:58,145
and apply to our day-to-day lives?

1003
00:32:58,145 --> 00:33:00,389
Maybe that you shouldn't
force your own morals

1004
00:33:00,390 --> 00:33:01,299
on others who don't share them?

1005
00:33:01,298 --> 00:33:03,567
Maybe that if you tell
Americans not to do something,

1006
00:33:03,567 --> 00:33:06,059
that's the one thing
they'll definitely do.

1007
00:33:06,059 --> 00:33:07,019
Or maybe there is no lesson.

1008
00:33:07,019 --> 00:33:09,309
Maybe we're all just a
bunch of dumb stinky idiots

1009
00:33:09,309 --> 00:33:11,289
and we're all doomed.

1010
00:33:11,289 --> 00:33:12,123
The end.

1011
00:33:13,041 --> 00:33:15,625
(upbeat music)