Tenth Prohibition District Map, Showing Conditions by County
3/5/1930
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This map shows the sentiment about Prohibition in each county of the Tenth Prohibition District, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and part of Florida. It was created for a report on Federal Prohibition enforcement.
The different colors depict levels of public support for Prohibition and how well each county was adhering to Prohibition rules. From the perspective of law enforcement, white represents "excellent"; yellow is "good"; blue is "fair"; red is "poor"; and black is "bad."
The 18th Amendment had prohibited "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors." But it didn't define "intoxicating liquors," alcohol-related criminal activity, or what, if any, exceptions would be made to prohibition. These specifics were left to Congress, which passed the National Prohibition Act, often called the Volstead Act. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the bill, but it was passed again and became law on October 28, 1919, only two months before Prohibition took effect.
The law set a strict limit on alcohol content of .5 percent; criminalized the manufacture and sale (but not the consumption) of alcoholic beverages; and allowed for home manufacture and alcohol for medicinal and religious use. It also set stiff penalties for violations. A first conviction could result in a fine up to $1,000 and imprisonment up to six months. Property used in breaking the law could be seized.
Enforcing Prohibition was difficult and expensive, however. The long coastlines and borders of the United States aided smugglers. Bootleggers devised ingenious ways and places to make and sell alcohol. Law enforcement was underfunded and sometimes corrupt. Those arrested were often low-level violators.
As the cost of prohibition enforcement rose and the crime and violence associated with bootlegging gained more press coverage, support grew dramatically for repealing the 18th Amendment—or at least modifying the Volstead Act. Supporters argued that making alcohol legal again would provide jobs and taxes needed during the Great Depression and re-establish respect for the law. In 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment.
The different colors depict levels of public support for Prohibition and how well each county was adhering to Prohibition rules. From the perspective of law enforcement, white represents "excellent"; yellow is "good"; blue is "fair"; red is "poor"; and black is "bad."
The 18th Amendment had prohibited "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors." But it didn't define "intoxicating liquors," alcohol-related criminal activity, or what, if any, exceptions would be made to prohibition. These specifics were left to Congress, which passed the National Prohibition Act, often called the Volstead Act. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the bill, but it was passed again and became law on October 28, 1919, only two months before Prohibition took effect.
The law set a strict limit on alcohol content of .5 percent; criminalized the manufacture and sale (but not the consumption) of alcoholic beverages; and allowed for home manufacture and alcohol for medicinal and religious use. It also set stiff penalties for violations. A first conviction could result in a fine up to $1,000 and imprisonment up to six months. Property used in breaking the law could be seized.
Enforcing Prohibition was difficult and expensive, however. The long coastlines and borders of the United States aided smugglers. Bootleggers devised ingenious ways and places to make and sell alcohol. Law enforcement was underfunded and sometimes corrupt. Those arrested were often low-level violators.
As the cost of prohibition enforcement rose and the crime and violence associated with bootlegging gained more press coverage, support grew dramatically for repealing the 18th Amendment—or at least modifying the Volstead Act. Supporters argued that making alcohol legal again would provide jobs and taxes needed during the Great Depression and re-establish respect for the law. In 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment.
This primary source comes from the Records of the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement.
National Archives Identifier: 16972717
Full Citation: Illustrated Map of the Tenth Prohibition District, Showing the Conditions in Each County as to Public Sentiment, Illicit Distilling and Unlawful Selling, Transporting, and Possession; 3/5/1930; Tenth Prohibition District, Survey of the; Research Material for the "Report on Federal Prohibition Enforcement", 1929 - 1930; Records of the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement, Record Group 10; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/tenth-prohibition-district-map, September 19, 2024]Activities that use this document
- Prohibition Enforcement Map Analysis
Created by the National Archives Education Team
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