Before we look at prohibition in the 1920's we need a little background. The Women's Christian Temperance Union movement and other community groups worked for years (in the 19th century) to stop the problems associated with drinking. The WCTU had chapters in rural communities throughout the land. This really was the first political movement of women for reform. In numbers, this movement was much larger than the suffrage movement and rural, conservative women were active in small towns. What did they want? An end to drinking. They saw that men went to saloons (women were not allowed) and often came home drunk to abuse women and children. Since women did not have a right to wages, the men were free to spend them as they liked and could drink rather than put food on the table.

Coolidge, and many politicians, could see that prohibition was a positive response to a social problem. However, as the 20th century developed, the attitude toward drinking changed. With the roaring twenties both women and men drank (illegally) and liquor was a social experience that did not lead to tragedy in all cases. Thus when Roosevelt ended prohibition, this was acceptance of this change.

If you read Robert Ferrell's excellent book on the Coolidge presidency entitled The Presidency of Calvin Coolidge, published in 1998 (and sold through the Coolidge Foundation), you will read of his opinion that prohibition was not "government intrusion into the social lives of citizens" because it was not enforced. (Ferrell, p. 102) States did not enforce it. Ferrell cites saloons as leading to "unacceptable public behavior" and that "industrial America needed more discipline." "Most citizens chose to respect the law," stated Ferrell. However, Ferrell laments, "Unfortunately for the experiment, when memory of the old-time saloon dimmed and the Great Depression made the revival of an old industry attractive, Prohibition came to an end."

Coolidge did believe in enforcement and kept Mabel Willebrandt in the Department of Justice to do this. Congress, in 1922, gave the Prohibition Bureau $6.7 million for 3,000 employees, including clerks. Ferrell feels that this was inadequate.

Robert Sobel, in his fine new book on Coolidge entitled Coolidge: An American Enigma, stated that Coolidge upheld the law passed by Congress, the Volstead Act. "But he also said, 'Any law that inspires disrespect for other laws-the good laws-is a bad law.' In his own oblique manner, Coolidge made his meaning quite clear." (Sobel, p. 280) Coolidge did convene a meeting of the nation's governors for October 20th to consider the matter of enforcing the Volstead Act. There were lobbyists for the anti-prohibition stance and a political party called the Prohibition Party. Donald R. McCoy, in his newly re-printed book Calvin Coolidge: The Quiet President, credits Coolidge by slipping "neatly between the wets and the drys." (McCoy, p. 303) The "dry" leaders put pressure on Coolidge and "the President did sponsor the negotiation of treaties with other nations to stop illegal imports of alcoholic beverages, but otherwise he tried to keep from being personally involved in the prohibition question." He urged the need for more state and local action on prohibition enforcement.

In C. Bascom Slemp's book The Mind of the President (Slemp is the Secretary to the President) he quotes the Annual Message by Coolidge to the Senate and House of December 6, 1923: "The complementary duty to enforcement of the law is obedience to the law. That rests with the people themselves." He continued, "To prevent smuggling, the Coast guard should be greatly strengthened, and a supply of swift power boats should be provided. The major sources of production should be rigidly regulated, and every effort should be made to suppress interstate traffic. With this action on the part of the National Government, and the cooperation which is usually rendered by municipal and state authorities, prohibition should be made effective."