Speakeasies were formed in the 1920s as a means to get around the everyday hassle of law enforcement watching for people violating the 18th Amendment. As a result of Prohibition, the speakeasy was an established institution. For every legitimate saloon that closed as a result of the new law, half dozen underground palaces sprung up. These speakeasies were one of the many ways that people during the 1920's and early 1930's obtained illegal alcohol. By the middle of the decade there were thought to be 100,000 speakeasies.

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