About This Object

The hat came from a bar in New York City called “21”, which opened its doors in 1930 as a speakeasy in the Prohibition Era. The bar has a tradition of giving away hats to patrons who celebrate their 21st birthday on site.

So I got this hat in New York City] at a restaurant called the Twenty-One Club. It was a Prohibition era bar, and they got shut down and then had to move around New York City a bunch of times. Eventually they relocated, and now if you go there on your twenty-first birthday, they give you a hat. So it wasn’t my twenty-first birthday, but I did manage to get a hat from somebody. Now me and my sister both have them, and it’s a very sentimental thing. —Ethan Shiman

Prohibition Era

A History Harvest Perspective

Turing 21 now in here in the U.S. is a large celebration. Young adults have the ability to spend a night out with friends, partaking in alcohlic drinks, all without the fear of having to partake in secret. A century ago, however, that was not the case.

The Prohibition Era started on January 17th, 1920, and over the next 13 years, the sale of alcohol would be illegal. This was in an attempt to lower, and ulitmately rid, the sale of alcohol and the effects that came with it. As history showed us, the results were the opposite.

Among the decline in arrests for drunkeness and a reported 30% drop in consumption¹, the terms “bootlegging” and “speakeasies” started to appear. Bootlegging refered to the illegal production and selling of alcohol, while speakeasies refered to anything from stores, nightclubs, and restaurants that sold alcohol during this time. It is estimated that there were anywhere from 20,000-100,000 speakeasies in New York City alone during Prohibition.²

Come February 1933, President Roosevelt called for the end of Prohibition with the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, ending the 13 year drought. If you would like to read more on the Prohibition Era, more information can be found here and here.