How Dry I Ain't - the Ignoble Experiment that Failed

John Freeman was born, educated and has lived his entire life in San Francisco. He received his BA in History at the University of San Francisco and Master’s Degree at San Francisco State University. For 35 years he taught a variety of subjects in San Francisco Pubic High Schools, but retirement finally gave him the opportunity to pursue his passion for San Francisco history in depth. He has researched and published numerous articles in print and online on a diverse range of local historical topics. John has consulted for museum exhibits, and historic novels set in San Francisco. He also has done presentations on a variety of topics in local history in differing settings. He has guest lectured in local colleges and lifelong learning programs in the Bay Area, led historic neighborhood walks and done podcasts. Freed from a mandated curriculum structure, John enjoys following topics in local history that are unique and engaging, in this case, the untold story of how uniquely the Bay Area dealt with the 13 years of Prohibition. 

This year we celebrate the centennial of the beginning of the Volstead Act (1920 – 1933), the enforcement legislation of the 18  ^th Amendment. The Prohibition movement had its origins in the Northeast and Midwest, with very little enthusiasm in the West, and particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area. But it was the “Law of the Land,” and we had to obey its restrictions. The 13 years of Prohibition have been sensationalized, primarily because of gang violence and dramatic law enforcement methods in big cities and smaller communities in other regions of the nation. This presentation will focus on the less dramatic activities of citizens in our area, who found ways to circumvent what President Herbert Hoover called the “noble experiment” with a much more relaxed attitude.