Monthly Gathering—November 2003
Rumrunning And The Roaring Twenties In Detroit
On January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment prohibiting alcoholic beverages took effect. Church and business leaders, temperance advocates and government officials predicted that a tranquil new era was dawning. An era when prisons would be empty, police forces could be drastically cut and the citizenry would be more productive, spending time with their families rather than in saloons.
Well…it didn’t quite work out as envisioned. In fact, the Prohibition “experiment” failed miserably—and nowhere worse than in Michigan, where the state’s close proximity to Canada made it a major center for smuggling illegal alcohol. Despite the efforts of Federal and local law enforcement, an astounding 75 percent of all illegal liquor brought into the U.S. came across the Detroit River!
Join us on Saturday, November 15, for a fascinating look at life in Michigan during Prohibition. Our guest speaker, Wayne State’s distinguished professor of history, Philip P. Mason will provide insights based on his book Rumrunning and the Roaring Twenties. Included will be some of the most creative methods of smuggling, which ranged from baby carriages and electronically controlled torpedoes to false breasts and hollowed out loaves of bread and watermelons. As well as a look at some of the leading characters such as mob racketeers, and “legitimate” businessmen like Joe Kennedy, who profited vast sums from the nation’s thirst for alcohol.
This will be our final lecture until next February, so don’t miss this opportunity to glimpse into a bygone era, when flappers, urban development, fads and speakeasies dominated American culture. A time when some sought to change human nature through the force of an unpopular law, while others sought to make their fortunes by defying it.
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