The "Noble Experiment": Prohibition and the Making of the Mob

In this episode, Pettengill finalizes the discussion concerning the temperance movement. Activists like Wayne Wheeler were ultimately triumphant and, in 1920, the Volstead Act went into effect. But compliance with Prohibition was sporadic at best. As Pettengill notes, there were plenty of Americans who were more than happy to flout the new law. And given that legitimate producers were unable to provide the commodity, Prohibition served as a launching pad for criminals who would become some of the most central figures within the history of organized crime.