USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Gangsters took advantage of the demand for illegal alcohol and began bootlegging, or trafficking the illegal substance. Gangsters earned exorbitant amounts of money selling this illegal liquor to speakeasies, which were illegal bars that sold liquor despite the ban.

Detailed explanation-2: -The phrase, ‘Speakeasy’ originates from a term that bartenders used where people needed to, “speak easy” (quietly), when ordering at the bar in order to not draw attention to the prohibited act of buying alcohol. In order to gain access to these illicit bars, a password, specific handshake or secret knock was required.

Detailed explanation-3: -Though the advocates of prohibition had argued that banning sales of alcohol would reduce criminal activity, it in fact directly contributed to the rise of organized crime. After the Eighteenth Amendment went into force, bootlegging, or the illegal distillation and sale of alcoholic beverages, became widespread.