The Prohibition Act was doomed from the moment of its conception. Alcohol has always been a part of American culture and society, but it was the 19th century that saw the beginning of the fanatical temperance movement. The most outspoken members of this movement made teetotalism fashionable among religious groups, and many wanted to be among the elite of its leadership. Temperance societies began to form across the nation and carried the Puritanical message, “pleasure is sin.” However, nationwide prohibition was not yet a possibility until the outbreak of World War I. With war came a newfound fanatical nationalism that was vented against many German breweries and against alcohol at large. On October 28, 1919 the 18th amendment was finally passed by congress, and named the Volstead Act, which mandated that "No person shall manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, furnish or posses intoxicating liquor except as authorized in this act." Allowing for a year's adjustment, America went "dry" at the stroke of midnight, the morning of January 17, 1920. During the following twelve years, ten months and nineteen days America entered an era of corruption, scandal, gangsters, smuggling, disillusionment, jazz, tabloids, wealth, entertainment, fads, violence, xenophobia, cultural revolution and, of course bobbed hair. To attempt to summarize this period would be impossible but in short Prohibition and America did not get along.
In the spring of 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt made "real beer" exempt from the 18th amendment and by December of the same year, Utah was the last necessary state to ratify the 21st amendment, which repealed prohibition, so that on December 5th alcohol was legal once more.
On a more local level the northwest Florida ministers championed the enforcement of prohibition but Pensacolians in general did not respond positively to their injunctions. Escambia was one of the four counties in the state to exercise their local option by continuing to sell alcohol until prohibition became law in Florida in January 1919. Even then, a Pensacola lawyer by the name of Philip Beall challenged the law on constitutional grounds. In fact, the entire city was so nonchalant about complying with the new law that the Governor felt compelled to appoint a special vigilante committee to bring enforcement to Pensacola. He even went so far as to attempt to remove Sheriff James C. Van Pelt from office. Even after efforts to enforce prohibition were supported by stirring appeals to patriotism and the redoubled efforts by local law enforcement officers, Pensacola was still hardly a model community to illustrate the success of the 18th Amendment. The port city was wide open for smuggling and had a tradition as a “sailor’s town” making it well known to importers from out of town. In fact, illegal liquor could be purchased almost anywhere in the city without a visitor having to look very far. There were also a number of “speakeasies” around town such as Angelo Maggio’s at 414 West Zarragosa Street and the New Warrington Club operated by R. G. “Baby” Green. If these were not to your liking there was always George Wilson’s Pioneer Roadhouse on Gulf Beach Highway, which was about as far away from everything as you could get in that day and time.
But when enforcement was demanded by the government the hammer usually fell on the lower socio-economic citizens. Periodic raids on different minority groups would net small amounts of moonshine or wine while the more elite citizens were rarely ever bothered. These upper class citizens drank with impunity at their well advertised parties in their homes in North Hill or out in the open at Sanders Beach or Borrachoville while their supplier Sam Clepper became somewhat of a local celebrity. The crowds were so large at Sanders Beach that everyone joked about needing a cop to direct the traffic. Liquor was going for $1.25 a quart or $2.00 a gallon if you bought it in the woods and a little more if you purchased it in town. If you bought $5.00 worth they would throw in the keg for free. Even when the Prohibition Administration Office sent six of their agents to open an office in Pensacola in the early 1930’s there was little they could do without citizen support to impact the making and importing of alcohol into the area.
