Rum War: The U.S. Coast Guard and Prohibition

by Donald L. Canney

Much of the ‘fuel’ that made the ‘roar’ in the “Roaring 20s” was alcohol – beer, wine, bathtub gin, “hooch”, “fresh off the boat” –and all of it manufactured, imported, transported, sold, and consumed illegally.

Prohibition, called the “noble experiment” by President Hoover became the law of the land on January 16, 1920, one year after the 36th state ratified the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. Enforcement of the law fell to the Department of the Treasury and the Coast Guard was charged with interdicting the flow of Demon Rum before it reached American shores.

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 21, 2011