On January 6, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, bringing with it the new prohibition law. Dubbed “the noble experiment” by President Herbert Hoover, Prohibition banned the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol throughout the United States. Before the institution of Prohibition, the United States government faced pressure from the Anti-Saloon League, the Women's Christian Temperance Union, Protestants, Baptists, and Methodists who believed that alcohol was responsible for the growing social problems in the United States, such as domestic violence and unemployment problems (McDonnell 394). These groups gradually gained political support until 1919 and were able to pass the law through efficient organization and intense lobbying efforts (McDonnell 395). Although many people in the United States supported Prohibition, some openly ignored it and refused to follow the law. This caused a huge increase in crime and illegal activity in the United States during the Prohibition period. Speakeasies in cities across the country flourished selling illegal alcohol to the public, bootleggers of illegal alcohol became wealthy, and organized crime led by powerful mob bosses gained control over major American cities. One of the easiest ways to obtain alcohol during Prohibition was through , illegal saloons called speakeasies. For example, New York City, one of the largest cities in the country and a center of Prohibition violations, had approximately one hundred thousand speakeasies by the mid-1920s (“Prohibition” 160). Before Prohibition took effect, bars, saloons, and nightclubs provided an easy, legal way to obtain alcohol that didn't break the law. After the sale of alcohol was banned, all of these businesses were forced to close, which allowed speakeasies to dominate. Many