Beer in the United States
On January 16, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was enacted into law, creating the Prohibition era, wherein the production, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages was made illegal. All legal American brewing came to a halt when prohibition was imposed, though the earlier temperance movement had already reduced the number of breweries significantly. Only a few breweries, mainly the largest, were able to stay in business by manufacturing near beer, malt syrup, or other non-alcohol grain products, in addition to soft drinks such as colas and root beers. Production and shipping of alcohol was largely confined to illegal operations that could deliver compact distilled beverages—smuggled rum and domestic moonshine—more efficiently and reliably than bulkier products such as beer.
Julius Caesar Chappelle
The Prohibition Party, an original third party against the legalization of production and consumption of alcohol, was trying to win elections in the United States by running candidates since 1867, and the Prohibition Party was strongly supported by the Ku Klux Klan especially in the southern states. The Prohibition Party did not receive many votes, but their campaigning was aggressive and utilized many of the same well-known establishments as the two other political parties to hold their elections and rallies. The Prohibition Party were known as Democrats. However, some people of color were also against the legalization and sale of alcohol, and the Prohibition Party tried to win over those voters also and in the Massachusetts area, and were called the "Armstrong factions" during the late 1800s. One of Boston's African-American politicians they were able to recruit was Councilman William O. Armstrong.