Volstead Act Quotes

'Boardwalk' begins literally on the first day of Prohibition, which I think was a wonderful way to start - to have the story kind of come out of this massive historical phenomenon. And the more I researched the '20s, the more I discovered just how interesting it was.

Prohibition is an awful flop. We like it. It can't stop what it's meant to stop. We like it. It's left a trail of graft and slime, It don't prohibit worth a dime, It's filled our land with vice and crime. Nevertheless, we're for it.

I started with the book 'Boardwalk Empire' and then immersed myself in the history of Atlantic City, World War I, the temperance movement, Prohibition, pop culture. I even read the news and magazines of the period just to soak in it. That was before I even started thinking of the story.

[Describing Prohibition:] Politicians are ducking, candidates are hedging, the Anti-Saloon League is prospering, people are being poisoned, bootleggers are being enriched, and Government officials are being corrupted.

The American people have said that they do not want any liquor sold, and they have said it emphatically by passing almost unanimously the constitutional amendment '

We advocate the repeal of the 18th Amendment.

Prohibition cannot be enforced for the simple reason that the majority of American people do not want it enforced and are resisting its enforcement.

In fact, the whole thing about prohibition is this: it isn't the initial cost, it's the humidity.

When Prohibition was first enacted in 1920, most people stockpiled alcohol, thinking they'd have enough to last them for years. By 1923, that was starting to run out, so your average person started to rely more and more on criminals.

These laws were born of the belief that we could legislate ourselves out of war, as we had one legislated ourselves out of the saloons. These laws were an experiment, noble in motive but disastrous in results.

Prohibition? I drink to its health whenever I can.

Prohibition has made nothing but trouble.

People have forgotten the effects of prohibition. We have become the United Statesof Amnesia.

Prohibition is a hard sounding word, worthless as a rallying cry, hard as a locked door or going to bed without your supper.

Prohibition created more drunks than anything else.

Prohibition is a Constitutional mandate and I hold it absolutely necessary to give it a fair and thorough trial.

Unless we have the Republicans joining us and helping us … we’ll have a mutiny in this goddamned country. So we’ve got to make this an American bill and not just a Democratic bill … It doesn’t do any good to have a law like the Volstead Act if you can’t enforce it

The Prohibition era is so vividly depicted in 'Lawless.' John Hillcoat does a remarkable job of rooting his film in such a tangible reality.