Prohibition

There have been two periods of Prohibition of alcoholic beverages in Birmingham. A local measure restricting alcohol sales was in force between 1908 and 1911, and national prohibition was in effect between 1920 and 1933.

The local prohibition campaign was an effort to improve the cities notorious image. The policy was enacted as a result of powerful liquor interests within the city passing bribes to corrupt politicians in an effort to maintain profitable alcohol and gambling interests within the city. These “red light” districts, such as Pigeon’s Roost and Scratch Ankle, were both a public safety concern in addition to placing the city in a negative light to others. As a result of these conditions, in 1907 mayor George Ward began, with the cooperation of the Birmingham News, a push for prohibition within the city. By years end, Ward was successful in having prohibition enacted, and on New Years Day 1908, Birmingham went dry. However, the prohibition experiment would not last long as the city would become wet once again in 1911.

Birmingham would again experience prohibition beginning in 1920 with the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Again, this was short lived with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution resulted in the repeal of national prohibition in 1933.

References

• Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce (1976) Century Plus: A Bicentennial Portrait of Birmingham, Alabama 1976 Birmingham: Oxmoor Press, p. 18.