Speakeasies and Prohibition

         During the Prohibition era, brought by the constitutional ban on any production or sale of alcohol, many Americans made efforts to obtain alcohol. It was only legally available when administered by druggists as a form of "medicine," by clergymen for religious purposes, or from illegal sellers called bootleggers. One of the most popular means by which many civilians would have access to alcohol illegally was through speakeasies. Speakeasies were illegal taverns that required a "password" for entry to maintain confidentiality from law enforcement.
        Speakeasies were characterized by the rebellious movements occurring during the 1920s and the Prohibition era. These secretive barrooms, ranging from conditions of fancy jazz clubs to rundown backrooms, were a place where men and women drank together while flappers danced through the night. For those who opposed it, speakeasies were seen to serve as a home for urban American society's many evils, ranging from scantily clad women with short hair, indulgement in alcohol at higher levels than ever before in American history, and enjoyment of jazz, one of the most rebellious movements at the time.
       The Prohibition Era also sparked an increase in organized crime facilitated by gangs. Previously in the 19th century, gangs were merely groups of street thugs committing small-scaled crimes in mostly immigrant communities. Prohibition and the 18th Amendment, however, provided gangs with the perfect means of gaining profits at a large scale- supplying Americans with alcohol. This sort of trafficking called upon a higher level of sophistication and knowledge in business, which led to the need for multiple levels to conduct operations from lawyers to warehousemen as well as the creation of a practice called "rum-running" where mobsters imported alcohol from Great Britain and Canada.
          As a result of having direct access to these illegal resources, many speakeasies were mob-owned and often included extravagant shows seen at bars like Small's Paradise in Harlem where waiters danced the Charleston and others like The Trocadero where the famed Fred and Adele Astaire performed. From this, mobsters carried in millions, with one of the wealthiest bootleggers being Charles "Lucky" Luciano,  who began working with early investors in bootlegging at the onset of Prohibition and grew into a multi-millionaire. Luciano was one of the most infamous mobsters of his day and often receives credit for creating organized crime with the help of The Commission, a mob group composed of bosses from the top Italian crime families in New York.
        Overall, speakeasies were able to break down social barriers and set a new precedent for how a lot of crime would be conducted. However, as Prohibition was repealed in December 1933, organized criminals were forced to move their illegal operations in new directions. The word "speakeasy" also was converted into more relevant terms like "cocktail lounges" or "taverns," but the effect of these establishments is nevertheless important as they provided the rich, poor, and women with an increased sense of liberty and formed an entirely new atmosphere that Americans would enjoy for leisure.

Sources:

https://riverwalkjazz.stanford.edu/program/speakeasies-flappers-red-hot-jazz-music-prohibition
http://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-prohibition-underworld/the-speakeasies-of-the-1920s/
http://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-rise-of-organized-crime/the-mob-during-prohibition/
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-prohibitionspeakeasy/