The era of Prohibition was the result of a century-long reform movement. Spurred by the Protestant churches during the 1880s and the 1890s, organizations such as the Women's Christian Temperance Movement and the National Prohibition Party lobbied for the restriction of alcohol sale and consumption. These organizers viewed alcohol as a dangerous drug that disrupted lives and families. They felt it the duty of the government to relieve the temptation of alcohol by banning it altogether.
In January of 1919, the United States Congress ratified the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, outlawing "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors" on a national level. Nine months later, the Volstead Act passed, providing the means of enforcing such measures. Much to the dismay of Prohibitionists, however, the act had little effect on the alcohol-fueled hedonism of the American public.
The public reacted to Prohibition with a last night of binge drinking on January 15, 1920. For some time people had been stocking up on supplies of alcohol. But given the soaring prices, not even the wealthiest could afford to garner a lifetime reserve. New Yorkers crowded into their favorite bars, cafes, and restaurants in melancholy anticipation of the midnight hour, which would bring an end to their drinking. At the Waldorf-Astoria bar, one man sang "Auld Lang Syne" as a bartender wept. Few, however, foresaw the upcoming era of bootlegging, rum-running, and speakeasies.
A speakeasy was a place where the illegal alcoholic beverages were sold. One generally gained admission to a speakeasy through a sponsored membership by a trustworthy customer. Some provided membership cards, while others merely asked for passwords. This exchange of passwords at the door gave the "speakeasy" or "speak" its name. They existed everywhere and generally were easy to find. In fact, policemen were known to guide out of town visitors to the nearest speak, and sometimes even provide them with the password. At a typical speakeasy, a customer would wait for a light to come on above the door, a grill or small opening in the door would open, and the eye of the watchman would appear. If admitted, the customer might then entail pass through a series of locked doors, and at the final destination, the bartender provided a variety of watered-down scotches or gins.
Imbibers usually had little trouble obtaining alcohol without the benefit of a speakeasy. Rural distillers manufactured liquor, and "rum-runners" smuggled it into the city for resale. In the novel, Jay Gatsby has absolutely no difficulty in providing gallons of alcohol for his famous parties. Eventually the government realized that its Prohibition measures were pathetically ineffective. In 1933 Congress passed the Twenty-First Amendment, annulling Prohibition altogether.